Zillow data: Seattle has 3rd largest homeless population in U.S., as rising rents take a toll
Rents are at all-time highs in tech hubs like Seattle, and new data from Zillow show how rent hikes in various cities around the nation impact the homeless population.
Seattle is one of several cities where Zillow ties rent increases to a rising homeless population. Zillow found that a 5 percent rent increase in Seattle would push an additional 258 people into homelessness. That figure is the third highest among the cities measured by Zillow, behind only New York City and Los Angeles, the two most populous cities in the nation. Seattle’s population is not nearly as vulnerable to New York and L.A., where a 5 percent rent bump could lead to homeless population increases of 2,982 and 1,993 people, respectively.
The report also compares homeless counts in various cities and attempts to predict the size of full homeless populations, as counts often tend to miss people. By this metric, Seattle’s homeless population is also the third highest, behind New York and Los Angeles.
Zillow estimates Seattle’s homeless population totals 12,763 people, well behind New York (76,341) and Los Angeles (61,398). The only other city with a homeless population over 10,000 people, according to Zillow estimates, is San Diego.
https://www.geekwire.com/2017/zillow-data-seattle-3rd-largest-homeless-population-u-s-rising-rents-take-toll/
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