SEATTLE — Almost 5,000 more people experienced homelessness in Washington state in 2023 than they did 15 years prior, new federal data shows.
Washington saw an increase of 4,657 people who experienced homelessness from 2007-2023, a 19.9% increase per The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In its 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, only California and New York saw larger increases. California counted over 42,000 more homeless people in the same time frame, while New York saw 40,599 more recorded homeless people.
On a single night in January 2023, Washington (4% of the U.S. total) was one of four states that accounted for more than half of the nation's entire homeless population. The other states were California (28%), New York (16%), and Florida (5%).
