$24 billion spent. Numbers went up. 7 people die daily on LA County streets alone.
Homeless
183K
People in California
US Share
28%
Of all US homeless
Unsheltered
50%
Of all US unsheltered
10yr Growth
+53%
Since 2013
California's Homeless Population
Point-in-time count (thousands)
California's homeless population has grown 53% in a decade, from 118,000 to 183,000. This happened during the strongest economy in state history and despite $24 billion in spending. More than two-thirds are unsheltered -- living on streets, in tents, under bridges, or in vehicles.
California vs Other States
Homeless population by state (2024 HUD count)
California has 28% of all US homeless despite being 12% of the population. It has half of all unsheltered homeless in the entire country. A 2022 study found this disparity is driven not by mental illness or drug addiction, but by housing costs. West Coast cities have homelessness rates 5x that of places like Arkansas and Detroit -- which have far higher poverty and opioid rates.
🏙️
Skid Row, Los Angeles
50 square blocks in downtown LA. Estimated 4,600 people living on the streets. Open-air drug markets. America's most concentrated zone of human suffering.
🌁
The Tenderloin, San Francisco
Residents sued the city for streets free of drugs and tents. Fentanyl dealers operate openly. Families with children walk past people injecting.
⛺
Sacramento Riverbanks
Tent cities along the American River. State capital city can't keep its own riverfront safe. Fires from encampments are routine.
🌾
Central Valley
Fresno saw the largest homeless increase in a decade despite having some of CA's most affordable housing. COVID worsened instability.
Sources: EIA, CAISO, CA Energy Commission, CPUC, CA Legislative Analyst, NRC, AAA, GasBuddy, Tax Foundation, MIT/Stanford, Kpler, Bloomberg, Reuters, CalMatters, UC Davis. March 2026.