Econometrics Commons^™

An Econometric Analysis Of Homelessness Risk-Factors, Zac Smith

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper explores the issue of homelessness within the United States and seeks to create an econometric model that identifies predicting factors of homelessness at a state level which can be used to estimate the size of homeless populations. The author analyzed the role of 16 factors including income inequality, minimum wage, unemployment, rental cost, poverty, education, veteran status, and substance abuse on the 2017 state homeless populations. Using an ordinary least squares regression, the model produced five significant variables: adjusted minimum wage, percent of income spent on rent, possession of health insurance, average winter temperature, and the unemployment rate. …