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    [OC] Number of homeless per 100,000, by state (2024)
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    [OC] Number of homeless per 100,000, by state (2024)

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    2. LetoPancakes on

      states with more homeless programs are likely going to identify more homeless people than states that ignore their existence, NY for example does a ton more for the homeless than Michigan where I previously lived

    3. The_Lucky_7 on

      One thing that keeps bothering me when I see maps of the US is the question: “Does the US not keep stats on its 5 territories?” They’re US citizens. So, why aren’t they ever on any maps?

    4. Guinnessbeer55 on

      It’s also true that a lot of homeless people are shipped to the west coast or New York from states that just don’t want to deal with them.

    5. kg_draco on

      Other than Nebraska and Hawaii, this correlates very well with the percent of the population living in large cities.

      Nebraska depends on how you define “large city”,
      Hawaii has a state-wide housing issue for well known reasons

    9. --StinkyPinky-- on

      New York and California treat homeless people better than other states, and that’s why they go there.

      Something like a little over 1/3rd of California homeless aren’t even from California.

    10. WarLawck on

      I does Alaska have a large homeless population? I would think homelessness would be a death sentence there.

    11. violetgobbledygook on

      Homeless people aren’t immobile. They migrate to places that provide them more resources, whether that is better weather, more compassionate residents, or better infrastructure or regulations for their lifestyle.

    14. makotoslove on

      a lot of homeless folks purposely move to california because of the weather, denser population, and social programs. unfortunately i don’t have a source this is just anecdotal from several people i know who lived through homelessness.

    17. SandboxSurvivalist on

      Is it just the case that no states fall into the 60.0-79.9 range or is the map missing data?

    18. Interesting_Ad6562 on

      Is that a typo or are there simply no states in the 60-79.9 range? 

      I can believe it, what with NY and HI being huge outliers. Looked at the data but couldn’t figure it out on the phone. 

      Did notice that, even though NY has one of the most homeless people per capita stat, only 4% of them are unsheltered! Which is the lowest of all the states. 

    19. A-DustyOldQrow on

      How do you survive being homeless in Alaska? Wouldn’t you just die in the winter time? This is a serious question. I live in Florida and I can’t imagine surviving a winter in Alaska, let alone doing so while homeless.

    22. Large-Investment-381 on

      “If we just built more housing, we’d have fewer homeless,” is the worst conclusion to draw.

    23. Flat-Leg-6833 on

      This is where I ask “define homeless.” Most “homeless” in NY actually live in shelters (while often hanging in the streets at night) while other states have large tent cities/shanties without as many shelters.

    25. MintyCrow on

      I promise you. Growing up in Appalachia there were DEFINITELY homeless people. Permanent figures on the trails. People that stayed in the woods, and never left. In the abandoned hunting cabins. In the old stills. People that lived on the road or in RVs. They were there. And always have been. They’re just not checking into services that homeless people in big cities are, and so they’re not counted. And I think that’s a really important note, on HOW this data is collected.

    27. visiBleBreak0 on

      Would love to see a map that shows homeless population by original resident state, many travel to big cities when homeless but come from other places in the US that have less social programs. My state breaks down the point in time by how long someone’s been in the state which is always illuminating 

    28. SeamusMcBalls on

      What’s considered a home in some rural parts is vastly different than what’s considered a home in a city.

    31. Specialist-Cycle9313 on

      Kind of surprised New York has a higher rate than the states on the west coast. I’ve been to all the west coast states and was alarmed by the amount of homeless people I saw in their big cities. NYC has a lot of homeless people too, but the concentration wasn’t as alarming for me.

    34. NoKindnessIsWasted on

      When homeless aren’t counted? No problem!
      States that have made being unhoused a crime usually aren’t trying to keep track and they pushed the homeless out of view.

      Texas homeless are supposed to be 3x the actual count.

      Phoenix alone estimates more than 600 homeless in a single year died of heat exposure in 2024.

    35. aerfgadf on

      If I were a millionaire or homeless I’d live in San Diego too. Unfortunately I fall in that middle group who cant live there.

    36. huntjb on

      You could use a continuous colormap instead of binning the # of homeless per capita. Also, it looks like you omitted the bin for 60-80 homeless per capita.

    40. djstealthduck on

      It’s the cost of housing, y’all.

      Most of these state maps are terrible because the county level data tells a much more nuanced story.