Deaths of Unhoused People in the City of LA, 2023

Analysis

This map and analysis show details of deaths of unhoused people in the City of Los Angeles in 2023. The map can be viewed by race and Council District. Hovering over the map shows more details of each death, including Council District, case number, date, location, age, race, gender, place, cause, and mode.

In 2023, there were a total of 900 deaths of unhoused people in the City of LA.

  • • Most common mode of death: Accident (75%)
  • • 40 unhoused people were murdered in 2023, which is 12% of all homicides in the City of LA. Unhoused people are only about 1% of the population.
  • • At least 73% of deaths were in streets or areas without proper utilities, such as tents, parking lots, parks, RVs, and vacant buildings.
  • • Most common place of death: Street/Freeway/Tunnel/Sidewalk
  • • Black people were 31% of deaths. Black people are only 8% of the City’s general population, but are 33% of the City’s unhoused population.
  • • Council Districts 14 and 1 had the highest numbers of deaths as well as some of the highest unhoused populations.
  • • January, February, and March were the most deadly months.

This dataset was obtained from the LA County Medical-Examiner Coroner.

Mode:

Mode of death can take a while to investigate and conclusions are preliminary.

“Mode” vs “Cause”: Mode of death is the way in which cause contributed to death. Cause of death is the specific factor (e.g., injury, disease, etc.) that led to mode of death. Mode of death is more established data.

Mode of Death:

  • Accident: 678 deaths (75%)
  • Natural: 160 deaths (18%)
  • Homicide: 40 deaths (4%)
  • Suicide: 16 deaths (2%)
  • Undetermined: 6 deaths (1%)

Unhoused Deaths in City of LA by Mode, 2023

Place:

At least 73% of deaths were in streets or areas without proper utilities, such as tents, parking lots, parks, RVs, and vacant buildings.

15% were in healthcare facilities.

10% were in other sheltered places, such as hotels, residences, and interim housing facilities.

(2% were classified as taking place in "Other".)

Unhoused Deaths in City of LA by Place, 2023

Top 5 Places of Death:

  • Street/Freeway/Tunnel/Sidewalk: 338 deaths
  • Healthcare Facility: 135 deaths
  • Vehicle: 70 deaths
  • Residence: 48 deaths
  • Tent: 38 deaths

Unhoused Deaths in City of LA by Place, 2023

Race:

While Black people are only 8% of the City of LA’s general population, they were 31% of the City’s unhoused people who died. Black people were 33% of the City’s unhoused population in 2023.

Race:

  • Hispanic/Latino: 289 (32%)
  • Black: 281 (31%)
  • White: 274 (30%)
  • Unknown: 24 (3%)
  • Asian: 17 (2%)
  • Hispanic/Latino/White: 6 (1%)
  • American Indian: 4 (0.4%)
  • Middle Eastern: 3 (0.3%)
  • Hispanic/Latino/Black: 1 (0.1%)
  • Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 1 (0.1%)

Data including categories for race set by L.A. County Medical-Examiner Coroner.

Unhoused Deaths in City of LA by Race, 2023

City Council District:

The highest unhoused populations in 2022 (the most recent data available) were in Council Districts 14, 9, and 1 (followed closely by 6 and 13), according to LAHSA

The highest numbers of deaths of unhoused people in 2023 were in Council Districts 14 and 1.

Unhoused Deaths by City Council District, 2023:

  • Council District 1: 105 deaths (11.7%)
  • Council District 2: 37 deaths (4.1%)
  • Council District 3: 20 deaths (2.2%)
  • Council District 4: 35 deaths (3.9%)
  • Council District 5: 45 deaths (5.0%)
  • Council District 6: 46 deaths (5.1%)
  • Council District 7: 36 deaths (4.0%)
  • Council District 8: 31 deaths (3.4%)
  • Council District 9: 40 deaths (4.4%)
  • Council District 10: 40 deaths (4.4%)
  • Council District 11: 48 deaths (5.3%)
  • Council District 12: 38 deaths (4.2%)
  • Council District 13: 77 deaths (8.6%)
  • Council District 14: 269 deaths (29.9%)
  • Council District 15: 33 deaths (3.7%)

Unhoused Deaths in City of LA by Council District, 2023

Month:

The highest numbers of deaths occurred in January, February, and March, followed by April and August.

Deaths dropped significantly in November and December

Month:

  • January: 115 deaths (12.8%)
  • February: 100 deaths (11.1%)
  • March: 87 deaths (9.7%)
  • April: 81 deaths (9.0%)
  • May: 70 deaths ( 7.8%)
  • June: 76 deaths (8.4%)
  • July: 77 deaths (8.6%)
  • August: 81 deaths (9.0%)
  • September: 77 deaths (8.6%)
  • October: 71 deaths (7.9%)
  • November: 45 deaths (5.0%)
  • December: 20 deaths (2.2%)

Unhoused Deaths in City of LA by Month, 2023

Age:

68% of deaths were suffered by people ages 31-60. Ages 51-60 had the highest death rate.

Age:

  • Under 1 year: 3 deaths (0.3%)
  • 1-10 years: 0 deaths (0.0%)
  • 11-20 years: 5 deaths (0.6%)
  • 21-30 years: 93 deaths (10.4%)
  • 31-40 years: 187 deaths (20.9%)
  • 41-50 years: 183 deaths (20.5%)
  • 51-60 years: 243 deaths (27.2%)
  • 61-70 years: 139 deaths (15.6%)
  • 71-80 years: 36 deaths (4.0%)
  • Over 81 years: 4 deaths (0.4%)

Unhoused Deaths in City of LA by Age, 2023