San Francisco has long been known for having a large homeless population, but recent homeless count data shows neighboring NorCal counties have actually seen larger increases in unhoused numbers.
Results from the Point-In-Time Count found that in Sacramento County, homelessness increased 67 percent since 2019 to 9,278 individuals in 2022. In San Francisco, homeless numbers dropped 3.5 percent to 7,754.
Within Sacramento city limits more than 5,000 unsheltered people were counted, compared to 4,400 people in San Francisco. But, as the S.F. Chronicle points out, San Francisco larger general population means that 503 people per 100,000 are unhoused in San Francisco, compared to 952 per 100,000 in Sacramento.
Also of note, neighboring Alameda County saw a 22 percent increase in its homeless population to 9,747 out of 1.7 million people—also more than that of San Francisco.
Counties throughout California conducted their point-in-time counts earlier in 2022. The Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority recently announced that it was once again delaying the release of its data, originally expected in June then pushed to July, and now expected in September.