17 May 2026
Seventeen years of low violent crime with high homelessness.
Ever since HUD began tracking unsheltered homelessness in 2007, Hawaiʻi has ranked among the worst states on unsheltered homelessness, while remaining safer than the national median on violent crime. No other state has matched that combination every year of the 17-yr window.
Oregon came closest at 16 of 17 years; in 2024 its violent crime crossed above the national median, ending its streak. Washington held the combination for 14 years before exiting in 2022. California has been bottom tier on homelessness throughout, but its violent crime never met the median bar. Hawaiʻi alone has stayed.
| State | Years meeting both criteria (2007–24) |
|---|---|
| Hawaiʻi | 17 / 17 |
| Oregon | 16 / 17 |
| Washington | 14 / 17 |
| Idaho | 9 / 17 |
| Wyoming | 7 / 17 |
| Colorado | 6 / 17 |
| … 7 states qualified 1–5 years; 37 states never qualified. | |
| California | 0 / 17 ← bottom-tier homelessness, never safer than median |
A state counts in a year if both conditions were true: it ranked in the bottom tier on unsheltered homelessness, and it had less violent crime than the US median. 17 years total (2007–2024; 2021’s federal homelessness count was paused).
Hawaiʻi’s unsheltered rate rose 10% since 2007; its violent crime fell 17%. Oregon’s homelessness rose 34%, but its violent crime climbed 16%.
Public debate in Hawaiʻi often pairs visible homelessness with violent crime, a connection that’s intuitive and well-rehearsed in national coverage. Hawaiʻi’s 17-yr record hasn’t actually shown it.