Here’s How Homelessness in New York Compares to the Rest of the Country

Homelessness is on the rise in the United States. According to a study published by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the number of Americans experiencing homelessness has grown each year since 2015. As of January 2020, there were an estimated 580,466 Americans experiencing homelessness.

Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square
Jan 29, 2022
Republished with Permission: The Roosevelt Island Daily News

Urban camping outside Costa Coffee, on The High Street, Barnstaple by Roger A Smith is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

Though the exact effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on America’s homelessness problem have yet to be determined, some early indications suggest little reason for optimism.

For reasons at least partly related to the pandemic, a portion of Americans – as high as 35% in some states – say they have missed their rent or mortgage payments or have low confidence that they can pay next month’s, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. Additionally, in some parts of the country, the pandemic interrupted access to temporary housing locations, and social distancing rules meant fewer beds in shelter facilities

Nationwide, men are far more likely to experience homelessness than women, and rates of homelessness tend to be higher among historically marginalized racial groups, including Native Americans and Black Americans. Homelessness rates also vary considerably by state.

In New York, an estimated 91,271 people are experiencing homelessness – or about 46.9 for every 10,000 people, the highest homeless rate among states.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, many areas with a high cost of living, especially high housing costs, also have higher rates of homelessness. Similarly, areas with lower costs of living often have lower rates of homelessness. This pattern holds in New York. Just as the homelessness rate in the state is higher than average, so too is the cost of living. The overall cost of living in New York, which includes housing costs, is about 9.5% higher than the national average.

Rank	State	Homelessness rate (per 10,000)	Homeless population	Poverty rate (%)	Cost of livng (%)
1	New York	46.9	91,271	13.0	9.5 higher than avg.
2	Hawaii	45.6	6,458	9.3	11.3 higher than avg.
3	California	40.9	161,548	11.8	9.9 higher than avg.
4	Oregon	34.7	14,655	11.4	3.5 higher than avg.
5	Washington	30.1	22,923	9.8	7.1 higher than avg.
6	Alaska	26.6	1,949	10.1	3.4 higher than avg.
7	Massachusetts	26.1	17,975	9.4	6.7 higher than avg.
8	Nevada	22.4	6,900	12.5	1.1 lower than avg.
9	Vermont	17.8	1,110	10.2	1 lower than avg.
10	Colorado	17.1	9,846	9.3	2 higher than avg.
11	New Mexico	15.9	3,333	18.2	6.8 lower than avg.
12	Maine	15.6	2,097	10.9	3.5 lower than avg.
13	Arizona	15.1	10,979	13.5	1.6 lower than avg.
14	Montana	14.5	1,545	12.6	5.9 lower than avg.
15	Minnesota	14.1	7,940	9.0	1.3 lower than avg.
16	Idaho	13	2,315	11.2	7.1 lower than avg.
17	Florida	12.8	27,487	12.7	0.1 lower than avg.
18	Nebraska	12.4	2,404	9.9	6.6 lower than avg.
19	New Hampshire	12.3	1,675	7.3	3.4 higher than avg.
20	Delaware	12	1,165	11.3	1.1 lower than avg.
21	South Dakota	12	1,058	11.9	7.7 lower than avg.
22	New Jersey	10.9	9,662	9.2	10.9 higher than avg.
23	Tennessee	10.6	7,256	13.9	8.1 lower than avg.
24	Missouri	10.6	6,527	12.9	7 lower than avg.
25	Wyoming	10.6	612	10.1	6.6 lower than avg.
26	Maryland	10.5	6,360	9.0	4.8 higher than avg.
27	Pennsylvania	10.4	13,375	12.0	2.1 lower than avg.
28	Rhode Island	10.4	1,104	10.8	1.6 higher than avg.
29	Oklahoma	9.9	3,932	15.2	9.6 lower than avg.
30	Utah	9.8	3,131	8.9	2.6 lower than avg.
31	Georgia	9.6	10,234	13.3	5.2 lower than avg.
32	Texas	9.4	27,229	13.6	0.9 lower than avg.
33	Ohio	9.1	10,655	13.1	6.8 lower than avg.
34	Kentucky	9	4,011	16.3	10 lower than avg.
35	North Carolina	8.8	9,280	13.6	7.8 lower than avg.
36	Michigan	8.6	8,638	13.0	4.9 lower than avg.
37	Indiana	8.4	5,625	11.9	6.6 lower than avg.
38	Iowa	8.4	2,647	11.2	8.1 lower than avg.
39	Kansas	8.4	2,449	11.4	6.9 lower than avg.
40	South Carolina	8.3	4,287	13.8	7.9 lower than avg.
41	Illinois	8.2	10,431	11.5	0.2 lower than avg.
42	Connecticut	8.1	2,905	10.0	2.9 higher than avg.
43	Wisconsin	7.8	4,515	10.4	5.5 lower than avg.
44	Arkansas	7.8	2,366	16.2	11.6 lower than avg.
45	West Virginia	7.5	1,341	16.0	11.7 lower than avg.
46	North Dakota	7.1	541	10.6	7.8 lower than avg.
47	Virginia	7	5,957	9.9	0.3 higher than avg.
48	Alabama	6.8	3,351	15.5	10.9 lower than avg.
49	Louisiana	6.8	3,173	19.0	8.2 lower than avg.
50	Mississippi	3.7	1,107	19.6	12.4 lower than avg.

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