Homeless count says Tempe has fewer unhoused residents
The Point in Time count gives data on the number of people who are unsheltered on a specific date.
Arianna Grainey
Tempe saw fewer unhoused people in the latest count, a change from the growth seen in recent years.
The Maricopa Association of Governments’ Point in Time report counts the number of unhoused people in every city in the county. This year, the organization counted 9,726 on Jan. 26, 2026. This included 283 people in Tempe, fewer than the 2025 and 2023 counts.
In 2024, many East Valley cities saw a significant increase in unsheltered people, and in Maricopa County the population has increased over 88% since 2020.
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Tempe saw fewer unhoused people in the latest count, a change from the growth seen in recent years.
The Maricopa Association of Governments’ Point in Time report counts the number of unhoused people in every city in the county. This year, the organization counted 9,726 on Jan. 26, 2026. This included 283 people in Tempe, fewer than the 2025 and 2023 counts.
In 2024, many East Valley cities saw a significant increase in unsheltered people, and in Maricopa County the population has increased over 88% since 2020.
Tempe is home to more than 190,000 full-time residents in around 40 square miles. Mesa is over three times the size geographically with nearly 140 square miles and over 500,000 residents.
Phoenix and Scottsdale have also seen unhoused residents grow from 2024, but with little to no growth in 2025.
In 2024, Phoenix reported just more than 2,700 unsheltered residents. In 2025, that number increased by over 1,000, and remains steady, even though it decreased to about 3,200 in 2026.
Scottsdale had fewer than 90 unsheltered residents in 2024, jumping to 105 and later 108 in 2026.
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Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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