US homelessness fell 6% in 2025, the biggest drop in more than a decade
What's new: Federal and independent analyses both found about 49,000 fewer people homeless, though nearly 700,000 remain unhoused.
Homelessness in the United States dropped more than 6% in 2025, the largest annual decline in more than a decade and the second straight yearly decrease, according to the annual nationwide count cited by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and an independent review for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Both analyses pointed to roughly 49,000 fewer people living in shelters or on the street. Even after the decline, nearly 700,000 people remained unhoused, still well above pre-pandemic levels. The Trump administration tied part of the shift to lower pressure on shelters in cities including New York, Chicago, Boston and Denver after changes in immigration policy.