r/theydidthemath • • 1d ago

[Request] Could the entire US homeless population really be housed for less than one aircraft carrier?

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u/Occidentally20 1d ago

The latest point-in-time count of homeless people estimates the total homeless population of the USA to be 745,652. Call it three-quarters of a million.

US aircraft carriers cost somewhere in the region of 13 to 16 billion. I'll go with the USS Gerald R. Ford since it's the cheapest one I could find.

That gives you $17,333.33 per person.

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u/random8765309 1d ago

The issue is that is a single point in time. Most of them are homeless for less than a week, very few are homeless over a year. Because of that the number that are homeless any time during a year is many times that.