ResearchMental Health
Male Homelessness in the United States
Summary:
Men make up the majority of homeless people (60%) and are also much more likely to be unsheltered. Rates of homelessness have risen over the past decade, leading to an increase in the number of homeless men from 339,000 in 2015 to 460,000 in 2024. Homeless men are also more likely to be alone, rather than in a family. As a result, 39% of homeless men were unsheltered in 2024, compared to 28% of homeless women. The share and rise of male homelessness varies by state: but most states (42) have seen a rise in male homelessness just in the past year. It is important for policymakers to understand the different patterns of homelessness by gender, to ensure services and resources are appropriately targeted.
Key Takeaways:
- Men make up 60% of the homeless population: in 2024, 460,000 men and 303,000 women experienced homelessness on a given night.
- Homeless men are less likely to be sheltered: 60%, compared to 72% of women.
- Among those in families, however, 93% are sheltered regardless of gender, while only about half of unaccompanied men and women have shelter access.
- Over the past ten years, the number of Americans experiencing homelessness has increased by 37%, with homeless men accounting for 58% of this increase. A substantial portion of this increase occurred after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In almost all states, homeless populations are majority male. Some states have seen dramatic growth in their homeless male population: in California for example, the number of men experiencing homelessness increased by about 43,000 over the past ten years.
In 2024, about 771,000 Americans experienced homelessness on a given night, an 18% increase from the previous year. Rates of homelessness vary significantly by different demographic groups, including gender. Of those experiencing homelessness in 2024, three-in-five were male. This is equivalent to 460,000 men and 303,000 women experiencing homelessness, shown in Figure 1.
Homelessness is defined as lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. It includes both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness:
- Sheltered: includes those staying in a supervised shelter intended to provide a temporary living arrangement, such as emergency shelters, transitional housing, or safe havens.
- Unsheltered: includes individuals living in places not meant for human habitation, such as streets, parks, vehicles, abandoned buildings, or encampments.
- Individuals experiencing homelessness are those who are not part of a household with a minor child, including both single adults and unaccompanied youth.
- People in families experiencing homelessness are those counted as part of a household that includes at least one adult and one minor child. While people in families are included in homelessness counts, they are far more likely to be sheltered than individuals.
The estimated homelessness rate per 100,000 population is 277 for men, and 179 for women: in other words, men are 1.5 times more likely to be experiencing homelessness.
Figure 1
DATA NOTE
The HUD Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is an annual effort by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide a snapshot of homelessness across the nation. The PIT Count is conducted on a single night in January and aims to estimate the total number of individuals experiencing homelessness in the United States. This initiative is carried out by local Continuums of Care (CoCs), which are regional planning bodies responsible for coordinating services for people experiencing homelessness. For more information on the PIT count including limitations – see these resources.
Homeless men and women are different
Men and women experience homelessness differently, not just in numbers but in circumstances. Almost nine-in-ten homeless veterans are men, as shown in Figure 2, reflecting the general gender split of veterans. Men also account for 68% of homeless individuals, but 42% of homeless people in families.
Figure 2
Homeless men are also more likely to be unsheltered, as shown in Figure 3. This is largely because of differences in family circumstances: almost two in five men experiencing homelessness (38%) are unsheltered and not part of a family, compared to 24% of women. Overall, 24% of homeless men belong to a family, about half the rate as that of homeless women (49%).
Figure 3
Homeless people in families – men and women alike – are far more likely to be sheltered than individuals. In 2024:
- 93% of both homeless men and women in families were sheltered, respectively.
- By contrast, only 50% and 52% of individual homeless men and women were sheltered, respectively.
The gender breakdown of chronically homeless people (typically defined as someone experiencing homelessness for an extended time while also having a disabling condition) is not available in the HUD dataset. But those suffering chronic homelessness are less likely to be sheltered (39% in 2024) and unlikely to be in a family (9%), suggesting that chronic homelessness will also skew strongly male. Past studies researching chronic homelessness find men make up the majority of this group.
Homelessness trending up
Homelessness in the U.S. has notably increased since the start of the pandemic. Between 2015 and 2020, overall homelessness remained relatively stable. Female homelessness saw a slight decline, while male homelessness increased by 4% over the five-year period. However, since 2020 an additional 107,000 men and 79,000 women have become homeless, increases of 30% and 35% respectively, as Figure 4 shows.
Figure 4
Just in the past year, there has been a substantial rise especially in the number of sheltered homeless men and women. From 2023 to 2024:
- The number of unsheltered homeless men and women rose by 6% and 9%, respectively.
- By contrast, the number of sheltered homeless men and women rose by 25% and 26% respectively.
Variation across states
Men account for most of the homeless population in every state except Massachusetts (where the share is 48%). But the gender gap varies considerably. The male share of Californians experiencing homelessness on a given night in 2024 was 64%, for example, while the male share in New York was 56%, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5
California by far has seen the greatest increase in its homeless population: from about 116,000 in 2015 to 187,000 in 2024, as shown in Figure 6, which provides trend data for each state. About 60% of this increase came from their male homeless population. Oregon also experienced a dramatic increase from 13,000 men and women experiencing homelessness to almost 23,000, an increase of about 73%. Like California, most of this rise (60%) was from men.
Figure 6
The absolute growth in men experiencing homelessness was larger in 27 states (28 including Washington D.C.), with the largest gap in California. It is important to note that while most states saw larger absolute growth of homelessness for men, most states (32) saw larger rates of increase for women. For example, in Rhode Island male homelessness rose by 100% from 2015 to 2024, while the rate of growth for women was much higher, at 150%.
It is important for researchers and policymakers to understand the mechanisms that increase the risk of homelessness—like job and housing insecurity, social isolation and drug addiction—and how these impact men and women differently. These could help to guide interventions intended to curb the growing challenge of homelessness, not least among men, in the U.S.
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