How Homelessness In Tennessee Compares To Other States

Image: Homeless person on 3rd St in Memphis, TN Image Credit: Thomas R Machnitzki / CC

By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square –

On a single night in 2022, 582,462 people experienced homelessness in the United States, and numbers are on the rise. Since 2017, there has been a 6% increase in homelessness.

About six in 10 of the people experiencing homelessness in 2022 had access to emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, or safe havens, while the remainder were unsheltered. Rates of unsheltered homelessness — which includes those sleeping on the streets, in abandoned buildings, and in wooded areas — are also on the rise.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were an estimated 10,567 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in Tennessee in 2022. Adjusting for population, this comes out to about 15.1 people for every 10,000 state residents, the 16th most among the 50 states.

Of those experiencing homelessness in Tennessee, a reported 58.0% were unsheltered, the 14th highest share among states.

All data in this story is from the 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Rank	State	Homeless population per 10,000 state residents, 2022	Total residents experiencing homelessness, 2022	Homeless population without shelter, 2022 (%)
1	California	43.7	171,521	67.3
2	Vermont	43.1	2,780	98.4
3	Oregon	42.3	17,959	61.7
4	Hawaii	41.4	5,967	62.7
5	New York	37.4	74,178	5.4
6	Washington	32.6	25,211	50.2
7	Maine	32.1	4,411	3.7
8	Alaska	31.7	2,320	15.4
9	Nevada	24.2	7,618	46.8
10	Delaware	23.6	2,369	6.5
11	Massachusetts	22.2	15,507	7.3
12	Arizona	18.6	13,553	40.8
13	Colorado	17.9	10,397	69.6
14	Louisiana	15.9	7,373	16.8
15	South Dakota	15.5	1,389	24.6
16	Tennessee	15.1	10,567	58
17	Montana	14.4	1,585	18.5
18	Rhode Island	14.4	1,577	15.7
19	Minnesota	13.9	7,917	22.3
20	New Mexico	12.1	2,560	21.6
21	Florida	11.9	25,959	45.2
22	New Hampshire	11.6	1,605	20.6
23	Nebraska	11.4	2,246	9.6
24	Wyoming	11.2	648	90.1
25	Utah	10.7	3,557	24.5
26	Idaho	10.5	1,998	44.4
27	Georgia	9.9	10,689	48.2
28	Pennsylvania	9.8	12,691	12.7
29	Missouri	9.7	5,992	73.3
30	New Jersey	9.4	8,752	88.8
31	Oklahoma	9.4	3,754	35.1
32	Ohio	9.0	10,654	81.7
33	North Carolina	8.9	9,382	38.6
34	Kentucky	8.8	3,984	27.2
35	Maryland	8.7	5,349	83.3
36	Texas	8.3	24,432	44.9
37	Kansas	8.2	2,397	29.1
38	Michigan	8.2	8,206	11
39	Arkansas	8.1	2,459	52.7
40	Connecticut	8.1	2,930	10
41	Wisconsin	8.1	4,775	6.3
42	Indiana	8.0	5,449	14.7
43	North Dakota	7.9	610	13.6
44	West Virginia	7.7	1,375	29
45	Iowa	7.6	2,419	83.2
46	Virginia	7.6	6,529	10.5
47	Alabama	7.4	3,752	42.1
48	Illinois	7.3	9,212	20.6
49	South Carolina	7.0	3,608	65.8
50	Mississippi	4.1	1,196	63.6

How Homelessness In Tennessee Compares To Other States