Introduction

As Denver’s homelessness response faces budgetary constraints, it and the metro area as a whole continue to see rising homelessness.

The Denver metro saw a record number of homeless individuals in 2025. Though the share of those who are unsheltered is shrinking, the number of those who are chronically homeless continues to grow.

The new Point-In-Time, or PIT, count arrives while the City of Denver is proposing budget cuts to patch up a $250 million shortfall projected over the next two years. Between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, $203 million had been allocated to Denver’s homelessness response through various departments and programs. 

Other counties in the metro area are experiencing the same trend as Denver including Jefferson County, which now has the region’s second-highest share of homeless individuals and a record high. Meanwhile, some counties and cities have seen homelessness numbers fall in the last year.

Key Findings

• The number of homeless individuals in the metro Denver Continuum of Care (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties) has nearly doubled since 2019 and risen 8% since 2024.
•  The number of homeless individuals in the City of Denver has risen 86% since 2019 and 12% since 2024. 
• The number of homeless individuals in Jefferson County has risen 170% since 2019 and 27% since 2024.
• The numbers of homeless individuals in Douglas, Adams, and Broomfield counties and the City of Aurora have decreased since 2024.
• In 2025, 20% of the Denver metro area’s homeless population were unsheltered. This is an increase from 16% in 2019 but a decrease from 29% in 2024.
• This follows the implementation of the All in Mile High homelessness abatement program, which dramatically expanded the city’s shelter space in 2023 and 2024.
• In the Denver metro, the number of chronically homeless individuals rose to 3,351, a 17% increase from the previous year. Since 2019, the number of chronically homeless individuals in the Denver metro area has nearly tripled, rising 189%. 

Where Homelessness is Increasing

In the counties comprising the Denver metro area (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties), the total number of homeless individuals rose from 9,977 to 10,774 in 2025, an 8% increase. The number of homeless individuals has risen every year since 2019, with the exception of 2021 when workers did not count unsheltered homelessness. In 2019, the Denver metro area counted 5,755 homeless individuals, meaning homelessness has risen 87% between 2019 and 2025. 

In Denver itself, the trend has been similar to that of the metro area, with rising homelessness in the last six years and record homelessness in 2025. The total number of homeless individuals rose from 6,539 to 7,327 in 2025, a 12% increase. Denver’s homelessness has risen in each of the past six years. It has increased 86% since 2019, rising from 3,943 to 7,327.

Jefferson County is also seeing record homelessness. There were 1,174 homeless individuals in Jefferson County in 2025, a 27% increase from 2024. Since 2019, the county’s homelessness has risen by 171%.

Arapahoe County’s 2025 PIT count is similar to those of Denver and Jefferson County. There were 725 homeless individuals counted, a 12% increase. Since 2019, Arapahoe County’s homelessness has risen 449%.

Where Homelessness Is Decreasing

In other Denver metro counties, homelessness has fallen in 2025. In Douglas, Adams, and Broomfield counties, homelessness increased dramatically in 2020, peaked in recent years, and has fallen in 2025.

In Douglas County, there were 58 homeless individuals in 2025, a 28% decrease from the prior year. Since 2019, homelessness has increased by 314% in Douglas County.

In Adams County, the total number of homeless individuals fell from 970 to 730 in 2025, a 25% decrease. Since 2019, homelessness has increased by 282% in Adams County. 

In Broomfield County, the total number of homeless individuals fell from 86 to 67 in 2025, a 22% decrease. Since 2019, homelessness has increased by 123% in Broomfield County. 

In the City of Aurora, the total number of homeless individuals fell from 697 to 626 in 2025, a 10% decrease. Since 2019, homelessness has increased by 61% in the City of Aurora. 

Unsheltered Homelessness

Both homelessness and unsheltered homelessness have risen in the Denver metro since 2019. However, the share of the homeless population that is unsheltered has shrunk in the last three years. This follows the implementation of the Denver mayor’s All in Mile High program, which began in 2023 and radically expanded the amount of available housing for homeless individuals in the Denver metro area.

In 2025, 20% of the Denver metro area’s homeless population were unsheltered. This is an increase from 16% in 2019. However, it’s an improvement on the previous three years. The share of homeless who are unsheltered has fallen 32% from 2024. 

Chronic Homelessness

• The number of chronically homeless individuals increased in 2025 and is at an all-time high. According to HUD, “A homeless individual with a disability as defined in section 401(9) of the McKinney-Vento Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11360(9)), who:
  •  Lives in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or in an emergency shelter, and
  • Has been homeless and living as described for at least 12 months* or on at least 4 separate occasions in the last 3 years, as long as the combined occasions equal at least 12 months and each break in homelessness separating the occasions included at least 7 consecutive nights of not living as described.
• An individual who has been residing in an institutional care facility for less, including jail, substance abuse or mental health treatment facility, hospital, or other similar facility, for fewer than 90 days and met all of the criteria of this definition before entering that facility**; or
• A family with an adult head of household (or, if there is no adult in the family, a minor head of household) who meets all of the criteria of this definition, including a family whose composition has fluctuated while the head of household has been homeless.”

In the Denver metro, the number of chronically homeless individuals rose to 3,351, a 17% increase from the previous year. Since 2019, the number of chronically homeless individuals in the Denver metro area has risen 189%. 

As a share of the Denver metro area’s homeless population, chronic homelessness has increased slightly. In 2025, 31% of the region’s homeless individuals were chronically homeless, up from 27% in 2023. 

Bottom Line

The Denver metro area’s varied responses to the region’s homelessness crisis are yielding varied results, with some counties and cities seeing increases in homeless population and others seeing continued record highs. As a whole, the Denver metro area’s homeless population has never been as large, and the number of chronically homeless individuals has never been as high.