Ground view looking up at a construction crane and high-rise development
Department of Planning & Community & Economic Development

Individuals Experiencing Homelessness

(Note: This page is part of the 2025 Housing Snapshot report)

The standard method by which U.S. cities estimate the level of homelessness in their communities is through an annual Point-in-Time (PIT) survey, conducted each January. The PIT provides a one-night snapshot of the number of people found in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs or in unsheltered locations such as parks or vehicles. It is worth noting that, though widely accepted across the country as the “official” measure of homelessness, PIT is an imperfect measure as it fails to account for all circumstances in which persons are unhoused, for example, those in temporary “doubled up” arrangements with friends or family.

Madison’s 2025 PIT survey, which covers Madison and Dane County, counted 790 persons experiencing homelessness. While year-to-year totals have fluctuated over the past decade, the 2025 count is little changed from that recorded ten years earlier.

The spike in 2021 marks the instability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent reductions reflect the impacts of federally funded local efforts to respond. The depletion of those funds have much to do with the increases experienced in 2024 and 2025. These trends are generally consistent with those experienced across the country. Longer term, over the past 15 years, the trends for homelessness in Madison/Dane County closely track the area’s overall population growth (23%).

Bar graph showing the number of individuals experiencing homelessness included in the annual Point in Time count
Annual Point-in-Time Count of People Experiencing Homelessness in Madison, WI

View Figure Data
Annual Point-in-Time Count of People Experiencing Homelessness
YearMinors AloneAdults AloneIndividuals in FamiliesTotal
20150452356808
20163372288663
20173317265585
20185404205614
20190354224578
20203349278630
20210503352855
20221490210701
20232398224624
20242518217737
20254595191790

Source: City of Madison / Dane County Annual Point-in-Time Survey, 3rd Thursday in January

Methodology: The Point-in-Time (PIT) is an annual count of all homeless individuals in Madison and Dane County that are unsheltered or residing in shelters. The PIT surveys all individuals encountered, noting certain demographic information. The count is conducted throughout the county where homeless individuals have historically been found to sleep. The count methodology is required by HUD as a condition of receipt of federal funds.

The largest share of persons experiencing homelessness in Madison, 3 in 4, are single adults. Like the general population, the population of those unhoused is growing older; 45% are age 45 or above. Perhaps most troubling, Black or African American residents make up a disproportionate share of the unhoused population—nearly 45% of the total despite comprising just 6% of Dane County’s population.

Local efforts to expand affordable housing, including through the Affordable Housing Fund’s promotion of 3-bedroom homes, have mostly concentrated on helping low-income families achieve housing stability. They have been less fruitful for low-income singles. Over the past decade, steadily rising housing costs, the elimination of most Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing units and lingering effects of the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic have combined to threaten housing prospects and increase the risk of homelessness in the community. Local strategies to expand affordable housing choices must be mindful of this segment of Madison’s population.

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Tenure Transition in 1-unit Structures

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