Bay EvidenceInvestigative research · Bay Area public systemsIndicators
Definitions, units, source systems, update frequency, and limits for the measures used across Bay Evidence.
Open →Data
Counts, indicators, comparisons, and change over time
Use public data carefully. A count, rate, service total, spending figure, or housing outcome means little without its definition, geography, time period, and method.
The central data question is not simply “what is the number?” It is whether two numbers describe the same population, geography, period, and method well enough to support comparison.
Point-in-Time counts, HMIS service records, housing inventories, budgets, contracts, and program outcomes answer different questions. Bay Evidence keeps those distinctions visible.
Local 2026 Point-in-Time totals, where a county released one
Bay Area counties · January 2026 counts; Alameda primary release, other rows July synthesis · People counted · local estimate, not a census
Six-county synthesis: about 23,000 · prior synthesis about 25,700 · not comparable bar-for-bar with the county rows
Open regional source synthesis ↗Source: Alameda County 2026 Point-in-Time Count report (full report, October 2026); regional synthesis for other counties. Separate from the standardized HUD CoC series.
Methods differ by county. San Francisco changed enumeration timing and is not shown as a standalone bar because the current local source note does not carry one. The six-county regional figure should not be added to the bars below.
Comparisons
Cross-county and cross-jurisdiction comparisons with clear warnings when measures are not directly comparable.
Open →Source Explorer
See how verified sources are distributed by year, publisher, geography, and broad source type.
Open →Downloads
Export the verified public source list as CSV or JSON for research and independent analysis.
Open →Data Quality
Understand revisions, exclusions, missing data, methodology changes, and limits on comparison.
Open →Geographic visualization will return only when Bay Evidence has an actual map product worth publishing. The former placeholder route now redirects here rather than presenting an unfinished room.