More than 16,000 people are experiencing homelessness in King County, up from 2022

Preliminary data released Wednesday from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s Point-in-Time Count found 16,385 people are experiencing homelessness in the county.

That’s over 3,000 more than were counted two years ago.

King County officials estimated the number of people sleeping outside in King County is going up. The latest numbers represent a 23% jump from 2022's estimate of 13,368.

This is widely considered an undercount, and county officials believe the number of people without stable housing is closer to 54,000.

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The King County Regional Homelessness Authority said there’s many reasons for the increase, but pointed mainly to the lack of affordable housing in the region.

The county's Point-in-Time Count, taken over two weeks, also found the number of people who cannot find any shelter is rising. About 9,800 people were estimated to be without any sort of overnight emergency shelter, compared to about 7,700 two years ago.

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Racial disparities in the unhoused community persist.

According to this year’s count, 19% of people experiencing homelessness in King County identify as Black or African American, but only 6% of King County's total population is Black.

The 2024 count used methods different from those employed in the past. Instead of sending out dozens of volunteers to count people sleeping outside in one night , officials used a sampling model to estimate unhoused individuals. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority said this "respondent-driven" sampling method is more accurate than a physical count.

The Point-in-Time Count is required by the federal government every two years for funding.