Street People are Heading South For the Winter

With the onslaught of Winter upon us the annual migration to the south occurs and not just for the "snowbirds".  The homeless in America migrate as well. Many cities in the south find themselves dealing with transients from the north. Call it self preservation.

With the economy the way it has been, the homeless numbers continue to increase.  If you live in small town America it isn't as noticeable but in the larger cities of America it is becoming a very serious problem. People living in cardboard houses under overpasses are a regular sight in many large cities.

According to the 2010 U.S Census Bureau information, the homeless in America is growing.  The state with the highest total according to the Census Bureau is New York with 36,254 homeless (that they are aware of). California is next with 27,655 followed by Florida with 12,714, Texas at 10,841 and Pennsylvania rounds out the top five at 8,287 recorded homeless people.

The states with the least recorded homeless are South Dakota with just 329 homeless people followed by Wyoming at 344, Utah at 374, North Dakota at 422 and Mississippi with 440 homeless people. With the exception of Mississippi, all are cold weather states so you can see the migration of homeless from north to south in those numbers.

In case you were wondering, Illinois recorded 7,623 homeless people in the state which would place it 6th highest on the list of 50 states.  Iowa's total was 1,646 and Missouri recorded 2,609 homeless people in the year 2010.