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The U.S. Census Bureau today released a 2010 Census special report, The Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population: 2010 [PDF], providing information on people counted at emergency and transitional shelters (with sleeping facilities) for people experiencing homelessness.

In the 2010 Census, emergency and transitional shelters were defined as places where people experiencing homelessness stay overnight. Examples include missions; hotels and motels used to shelter people experiencing homelessness; shelters for children who are runaways, neglected or experiencing homelessness; and similar places known to shelter people experiencing homelessness.

The emergency and transitional shelter population is one of many types that make up the total group quarters population. People in emergency and transitional shelters were enumerated in the 2010 Census as part of the Service-Based Enumeration Operation, which also included enumeration at soup kitchens, regularly scheduled mobile food vans and targeted nonsheltered outdoor locations.

The Census Bureau stresses that this special report presents statistics for people enumerated at emergency and transitional shelters only, and should not be misconstrued as a count of the entire population experiencing homelessness. The Census Bureau does not produce or publish a total count of the homeless population. Further, it is important to recognize that there is no standard or agreed upon definition of what constitutes homelessness. Also, people experiencing homelessness can be counted and included in the census through various operations, but those operations do not separately identify, or even collect information to separately identify, people who might be experiencing homelessness.

A list of tables and figures follows:

• Table 1. Total, Group Quarters, and Emergency and Transitional Shelter Populations by Sex and Selected Age Groups: 2010
• Table 2. Total, Group Quarters, and Emergency and Transitional Shelter Populations by Hispanic or Latino Origin and by Race: 2010
• Table 3. The Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population by Sex and Selected Age Groups for the United States, Regions, and States, and for Puerto Rico: 2010
• Table 4. Age and Sex Distribution of the Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population for the United States, Regions, and States, and for Puerto Rico: 2010
• Table 5. Ten Places With the Largest Population in Emergency and Transitional Shelters: 2010
• Table 6. Ten Places with the Largest Percentage of the Group Quarters Population in Emergency and Transitional Shelters: 2010
• Figure 1. The Emergency and Transitional Shelter and Group Quarters Populations by Age and Sex: 2010
• Figure 2. Percentage Distribution of the Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population by State: 2010
• Figure 3. The Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population by Sex for States: 2010
• Figure 4. The Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population by Selected Age Groups for States: 2010
• Figure 5. The Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population by County: 2010