SACRAMENTO — October 28, 2026. California officials released a new preliminary estimate suggesting that the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness statewide declined about 6.5% in 2026, marking a possible second consecutive annual drop. The figures were announced Wednesday by Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration and remain subject to federal reporting and further validation.

Two percentages measure different groups

The administration reports a 7.3% decline across the 37 Continuums of Care that conducted new 2026 unsheltered Point-in-Time counts, compared with their most recent previous counts. These jurisdictions represented nearly 90% of the state’s reported unsheltered population in 2025.

The administration’s estimated statewide decline is 6.5%, calculated across all 44 regional Continuums of Care. For seven regions without fresh 2026 results, the statewide estimate carries forward their previous count. For the same statewide comparison, the announcement says total homelessness, sheltered plus unsheltered, is estimated to have declined 3.4% from 2025.

The state also estimates a 12.8% drop in unsheltered homelessness from 2024 to 2026. These different statistics should not be confused: the 7.3% figure concerns the new-reporting regions, while 6.5% refers to the modeled statewide estimate for the current year.

Why the results are preliminary

Point-in-Time counts represent a snapshot of homelessness in a particular measurement window. They can change with weather, outreach methods, geography and counting procedures; they do not measure every episode of homelessness throughout the year. The 2026 estimate has not yet been presented as a finalized federal comparison covering fresh counts from all 44 areas.

Newsom attributed the reported declines to state and local investment in housing, shelter, behavioral-health services and homelessness outreach. Those are the administration’s explanations and policy claims; the headline count alone does not establish that any one program caused the change or that conditions improved equally in every county or city.

What local counties should do with the data

California58’s 58 county newspapers should review the appropriate local Continuum of Care and county housing data before reporting any individual county percentage. It would be inaccurate to take the 6.5% estimated statewide decrease and claim it happened in Monterey, San Bernardino or Los Angeles County at the same rate.

Readers seeking local policy changes can consult their county’s housing and homelessness office and the corresponding Continuum of Care’s published reports. The statewide report and local data should be presented as separate layers of evidence.

Primary source: Governor of California, October 28 preliminary 2026 homelessness announcement and methodology.

California58 methodology note: All percentages in this article are reported estimates attributed to the state announcement. County-by-county outcomes must be independently verified before publication.

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