2025 Total Homeless Count Results Reveal a 2.8% Decrease When Compared to 2024 Total Homeless Count
2025 Total Homeless Count Results Recently Released by HUD Reveals
a 2.8% Decrease for California When Compared to its 2024 Total Homeless Count
Unsheltered Homelessness Decreased by 6.8%
Sheltered Homelessness Increased by 5.1%
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the following resource link 2007 – 2025 Point-in-Time Estimates by CoC upon publicizing the 2025 AHAR: Part 1 – PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S. last Friday, May 29.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires Continuums of Care (CoCs) to conduct a Point-in-Time (PIT) count of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness at least every other year (biennially) and a PIT sheltered count every year, over one night, during the last 10 calendar days of January. CoCs were required to submit their 2025 PIT count data to HUD via HUD’s Homelessness Data Exchange, Version 2.0 (HDX 2.0) by June 13, 2025.
The resource link 2007 – 2025 Point-in-Time Estimates by CoC includes the 2025 homeless count results and related subpopulation data and provides the total count (column E), unsheltered count (column FI), and sheltered count (column EC) numbers for each CoC. The numbers for California CoCs were taken from these columns and listed in the tables below.
Also, the 2024 total count, unsheltered count, and sheltered count numbers listed in the tables below were taken from CoC Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports – HUD Exchange which are identical to the 2024 total count (column D), unsheltered count (column FH), and sheltered count (column EB) numbers in the resource link 2007 – 2025 Point-in-Time Estimates by CoC.
The 2025 total homeless count results and related subpopulation data for each CoC and state have not yet been posted on HUD Exchange under the CoC Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports. In prior years, HUD has consistently released the total homeless count results and accompanying subpopulation data for each CoC and state on HUD Exchange, specifically in the CoC Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports – HUD Exchange.
Total Count Comparison
Table 1 shows that California’s 44 CoCs collectively counted 181,934 persons as sheltered and unsheltered in 2025 which is 5,150 or 2.8% fewer persons when compared to the 187,084 persons they counted as sheltered and unsheltered in 2024.
Table 1 also shows that half or 22 of the 44 CoCs counted fewer persons in 2025 compared to the number of persons they counted in 2024, while the other half, or 22 CoCs counted more persons.
Table 1 also provides regional sub-total comparisons for the 23 CoCs located in Northern California, the eight (8) in Central California, and the 13 in Southern California:
- 23 Northern California CoCs collectively counted 56,499 or 2.6% fewer persons in 2025;
- 8 Central California CoCs collectively counted 17,919 or 2.5 more persons in 2025; and
- 13 Southern California CoCs collectively counted 107,516 or 3.6% fewer persons in 2025.
Unsheltered Count Comparison
As noted by HUD, CoCs must count all individuals or families who meet the criteria in paragraph (1)(i) of the homeless definition in 24 CFR 578.3. This includes individuals and families “with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground” on the night designated for the count.
Table 2 shows that California’s 44 CoCs collectively counted 115,583 persons as unsheltered in 2025, which is 6.8% fewer than the number of persons they collectively counted as unsheltered in 2024.
Table 2 also provides regional unsheltered sub-total comparisons for the 23 CoCs located in Northern California, the 8 in Central California, and the 13 in Southern California:
- 23 Northern California CoCs collectively counted 35,371 or 5.1% fewer persons in 2025;
- 8 Central California CoCs collectively counted 5 or 0.0% fewer persons in 2025; and
- 13 Southern California CoCs collectively counted 68,268 or 7% fewer persons in 2025.
Note: Because HUD does not require CoCs to complete an unsheltered count every year, but requires an unsheltered count to be conducted biennially, HUD carries forward the previous year’s unsheltered count and posts that same number as the unsheltered count for the following year.
Thus, the 2024 unsheltered counts are the same as the 2025 unsheltered counts for the 14 CoCs that did not conduct an unsheltered count in 2025, as shown in Table 2 above. Accordingly, the 2024 unsheltered counts for the 14 CoCs that did not conduct an unsheltered count in 2025 were combined with the 2025 unsheltered counts for the 30 CoCs that did conduct an unsheltered count in 2025.
Table 3 compares the 2025 unsheltered counts for the 30 CoCs that did conduct an unsheltered count in 2025 with their 2024 unsheltered counts. Collectively, these 30 CoCs counted fewer persons in 2025, reflecting a 9.0% decrease, which is larger than the 6.8% decrease for all 44 CoCs shown in Table 2.
The comparative decrease is also larger for the
- Northern California CoCs; Table 3 shows an 0% decrease and Table 2 shows a 5.1% decrease; and
- Southern California CoCs; Table 3 shows a 3% decrease and Table 2 shows an 8.7% decrease.
There is no meaningful difference for the Central California CoCs since the number of persons counted as unsheltered in 2025 is only five (5) more persons than in 2024.
Sheltered Count Comparison
As noted by HUD, CoCs must count all individuals or families who meet the criteria in paragraph (1)(ii) of the homeless definition in 24 CFR 578.3. This includes individuals and families “living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals)” on the night designated for the count. This includes individuals residing in Safe Haven projects.
Table 4 shows that California’s 44 CoCs collectively counted 3,241 or 5.1% more persons as sheltered in 2025 when compared to the number of persons they counted as sheltered in 2024.
Table 4 also provides regional sheltered sub-total comparisons for the 23 CoCs located in Northern California, the 8 in Central California, and the 13 in Southern California:
- 23 Northern California CoCs collectively counted 372 persons in 2025,or 1.8% more persons;
- 8 Central California CoCs collectively counted 444 persons in 2025, or 8.0% more persons; and
- 13 Southern California CoCs collectively counted 2,425 persons in 2025, or 6% more persons.
What Next?
The past three AHAR: Part 1 – PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S. were released in December following the previous Point-in-Time (PIT) count required to be conducted during the last 10 calendar days of January. The 2022, 2023, and 2024 AHAR: Part 1 – PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S. were each published and publicly posted by HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) after their respective January PIT counts in the same year. The following resource links were also included on 2024 AHAR Part 1 PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S. | HUD USER:
The 2026 PIT count was conducted during the last 10 calendar days of January, 2026.
Will the 2026 AHAR: Part 1 – PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S. be published in December 2026 and with a resource link entitled 2007 – 2026 Point-in-Time Estimates by CoC that includes the 2026 homeless count results and related subpopulation data? If so, when?
In addition, when will the 2025 and 2026 homeless count results and related subpopulation data be published on CoC Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports – HUD Exchange which currently provides access to 2024 and prior years’ homeless count results and related subpopulation data? If so, when?