People experiencing homelessness have a very high susceptibility for symptomatic infection and mortality from COVID-19 due to their living circumstances and inability to access regular medical care. We are tracking deaths due to COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness. If you have a information not listed on this page, please contact us.
Data are collected by aggregating news reports. Official data will be incorporated through public requests and as it becomes available. For more information on using and reporting on our data, please visit the Data page.
Disclaimer: most data are not official estimates reported by government agencies and very likely represent a significant underestimate of actual deaths due to COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness. Though the absolute number of deaths may seem small, analysis from New York City indicates that the COVID-19 mortality rate for homeless people in shelters is 61% higher (321 deaths per 100,000) than for the general population (152 per 100,000). Data should not be used to assess trends over time or compare deaths per homeless population across cities/counties. Date of the news report is listed, not the dates of death. Homeless Deaths Count is not responsible for inaccuracies in reporting or interpretation. Links to each source are provided to allow for independent verification.
Citation: Fowle, M. & Gray, F. (2022). COVID-19 homeless deaths. Seattle, WA: Homeless Deaths Count.
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths: 644
Cities/Counties Reporting: 25
Last Updated: April 16, 2022
Arizona
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in AZ (1 County Reporting): 9
Maricopa County
August 16, 2020: 9 deaths. AP News.
California
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in CA (7 Counties Reporting): 335
Alameda County
July 13, 2021: 4 deaths. Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau (public records request).
Los Angeles
April 16, 2022: 347 deaths. County of Los Angeles Public Health.
December 19, 2021: 267 deaths. County of Los Angeles Public Health.
August 3, 2021: 216 deaths. County of Los Angeles Public Health.
July 5, 2021: 215 deaths. County of Los Angeles Public Health.
May 21, 2021: 208 deaths. County of Los Angeles Public Health.
March 4, 2021: 180 deaths. County of Los Angeles Public Health.
December 22, 2020: 71 deaths. County of Los Angeles Public Health.
October 6, 2020: 44 deaths. County of Los Angeles Public Health.
September 2, 2020: 41 deaths. Los Angeles Daily News.
September 1, 2020: 35 deaths. LA Progressive.
August 12, 2020: 31 deaths. CBS Los Angeles.
June 16, 2020: 16 deaths. Spectrum News 1.
April 30, 2020: 3 deaths. Patch.
Napa County
March 23, 2020: 1 death. Napa Valley Register.
Orange County
December 16, 2021: 15 deaths. The Orange County Register.
June 14, 2021: 12 deaths. The Orange County Register.
May 7, 2021: 11 deaths. The Orange County Register.
October 27, 2020: 5 deaths. The Orange County Register.
September 24, 2020: 4 deaths. The Orange County Register.
July 4, 2020: 2 deaths. The Orange County Register.
May 12, 2020: 1 death. Voice of OC.
Riverside County
May 21, 2021: 2 deaths. Riverside County Medical Examiner’s Office.
San Francisco
December 16, 2021: 7 deaths. SF.gov
May 30, 2021: 5 deaths. DataSF.
May 1, 2020: 3 deaths. SFist.
March 16, 2020: 1 death. Vice.
Santa Clara County
May 21, 2021: 6 deaths. County of Santa Clara Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office
May 8, 2020: 1 death. San Jose Spotlight.
San Diego County
December 21, 2021: 33 deaths. San Diego County.
October 23, 2020: 3 deaths. San Diego Union-Tribune.
Colorado
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in CO (1 City Reporting): 13
Denver
December 14, 2020: 13 deaths. Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
March 4, 2020: 13 deaths. Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
May 18, 2020: 6 deaths. Denverite.
April 14, 2020: 2 deaths. Colorado Sentinel.
Florida
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in FL (3 Counties Reporting): 8
Miami-Dade County
September 5, 2020: 4 deaths. Miami Herald.
April 18, 2020: 1 death. Miami Herald.
Pasco County
July 13, 2021: 1 death. Florida District Six Medical Examiner’s Office
Pinellas County
July 13, 2021: 3 deaths. Florida District Six Medical Examiner’s Office
Idaho
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in ID (1 City Reporting): 5
Boise
January 29, 2022: 5 deaths. Idaho Statesman.
Illinois
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in IL (1 County Reporting): 1
Kane County
May 8, 2020: 1 death. Kane County Chronicle.
Indiana
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in IN (1 County Reporting): 1
St. Joseph County
May 5, 2020: 1 death. ABC 57. South Bend Tribune.
Maryland
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in MD (1 City Reporting): 6
Rockville
July 22, 2021: 6 deaths. Bethesda Magazine.
Massachussets
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in MA (1 City Reporting): 7
Boston
May 15, 2020: 7 deaths. WBUR.
May 4, 2020: 2 deaths. The Boston Globe.
Michigan
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in MI (1 City Reporting): 3
Detroit
June 6, 2020: 3 deaths. Detroit Free Press.
New York
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in NY (1 City Reporting): 127
New York City
January 19, 2021: 127 deaths. The Gothamist.
August 24, 2020: 104 deaths. Coalition for the Homeless.
July 6, 2020: 100 deaths. ABC7NY.
May 18, 2020: 76 deaths. NY Daily News.
May 13, 2020: 75 deaths. ABC News.
May 10, 2020: 73 deaths. New York Times.
May 7, 2020: 71 deaths. New York Times.
May 2, 2020: 60 deaths. New York Times.
April 21, 2020: 43 deaths. The City.
April 20, 2020: 40 deaths. NY Daily News.
April 15, 2020: 27 deaths. ABC News.
April 13, 2020: 23 deaths. New York Times.
March 25, 2020: 1 death. Politico. ABC News.
Pennsylvania
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in PA (1 City Reporting): 1
Philadelphia
May 1, 2020: 1 death. Philadelphia Inquirer.
Utah
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in UT (1 County Reporting): 3
Salt Lake County
December 21, 2020: 3 deaths. The Salt Lake Tribune.
May 26, 2020: 2 deaths. The Salt Lake Tribune.
May 5, 2020: 1 death. The Salt Lake Tribune.
Washington
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in WA (2 Counties Reporting): 20
Seattle/King County
December 21, 2021: 19 deaths. King County Public Health.
July 13, 2021: 14 deaths. King County Public Health.
January 3, 2021: 11 deaths. King County Public Health.
August 27, 2020: 9 deaths. King County Public Health.
July 28, 2020: 8 deaths. King County Public Health.
April 27, 2020: 6 deaths (includes unstably housed). KNKX.
April 20, 2020: 1 death. Seattle Times.
Snohomish County
December 11, 2020: 1 death. King 5.
Washington DC
Total COVID-19 Homeless Deaths in DC: 25
May 19, 2021: 25 deaths. DC Department of Human Services.
February 8, 2020: 24 deaths. DC Department of Human Services.
December 30, 2020: 23 deaths. Washington Post.
August 2, 2020: 21 deaths. DC Office of the Mayor.
May 14, 2020: 15 deaths. DCist.
May 8, 2020: 10 deaths. The Washington Post.
April 28, 2020: 9 deaths. The Washington Post.
April 16, 2020: 4 deaths. Wall Street Journal.