The Bay Area's homelessness crisis worsened in 2024, with a 6% rise pushing the number to an estimated 38,891 people, according to new federal data.

California’s homeless population remains the biggest in the nation, but the crisis is growing more slowly here than in most of the rest of the country, according to new federal data. The number of homeless Californians increased just over 3% last year compared to the year before,

Still, California’s increase of 3.1% from 2023 was smaller relative to other states. Nationally, the population of people experiencing homelessness increased 18% over the last year.