FILE: RVs and tents line a street above the highway at an encampment of unhoused people in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 31, 2025.
Eli Imadali / OPB
At least 372 people died while experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County in 2024, according to a report released by the county on Friday.
It’s the first decrease in deaths recorded from one year to the next since the county began collecting this data in 2011. The data reflect an 18% decrease in the number of homeless deaths from the year prior.
Although total homeless deaths have decreased since 2023, the number of people who died in 2024 is still higher than any previous year recorded by the county. At the same time, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County is at record levels. County and city investments in programs to address homelessness have also skyrocketed.
In a statement, County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson credited the declining death rate to those programs.
“The downward trend provides hopeful signs that growing our homelessness and behavioral health services is saving lives,” said Vega Pederson, who announced this week she would not seek reelection in 2026. “Our work ahead is to ensure this decrease becomes a pattern.”
In 2023, the county reported 456 homeless deaths — the highest number since 2011.
County health officials attributed the 2023 spike in deaths to the surge of fentanyl in the drug supply in Oregon and beyond. Overdoses linked to fentanyl have declined nationally and statewide since 2023.
Unintentional overdoses remained the top cause of death among people experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County last year. But those types of deaths are declining. A total of 214 people died from an overdose in 2024, compared to 282 in 2023. That includes a 27% decrease in overdoses linked to fentanyl.
“This decrease in overdose deaths offers a glimmer of hope,” said Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Richard Bruno. “We see in some preliminary data that the number of fentanyl overdose deaths have continued to decrease in 2025 and are hopeful that future reports will hold much lower numbers.”
The report draws a clear connection between homelessness and drug-related fatalities. According to the data, people experiencing homelessness are 40 times more likely to die from an overdose compared to the overall county population.
The risk of death from any cause was six times higher for people experiencing homelessness.
Other leading causes of death included traffic fatalities, assault, heart disease and suicide. The average age of death for people who died while homeless in 2024 was 48. The current life expectancy in the U.S. is 78.
The Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office and local hospitals collect the data.
A group of homeless service nonprofits will hold a memorial service for those who died while experiencing homelessness this year on Dec. 21 at St. André Bessette Catholic Church in downtown Portland.
