In 2023, the total homeless population in the US reached its highest point since at least 2007. There are a multitude of factors driving homelessness across the country, but are rising rent costs one of them?

To show how high rent and homelessness could be connected, USAFacts used Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development data to plot the median gross rent and number of homeless people per 10,000 residents for each US state.

As the chart shows, states with pricier rent tend to have higher rates of homelessness — like California, where the median gross rent is $1,870 and the number of homeless people per 10,000 is 46.6. Washington, DC, also follows the pattern, with an average rent of $1,843 and a homelessness rate of 72.5.

West Virginia is among the states with both the lowest median gross rents ($795) and the lowest homelessness rates (8.0).

Via USAFacts.