Daily operations · Browser tool
Shelter occupancy and bed-night calculator
Calculate shelter occupancy percentage and available bed-nights for fixed or changing capacity. Free browser calculator with a worked example and printable results.
Use your aggregate counts. Try the example or enter your reporting totals. No account needed; inputs stay in this page and are not saved.
Prepare your counts
- Use your own reporting dates and aggregate nightly counts. Load the example to try both capacity modes.
- For a reusable file, open the nightly census workbook and set your shelter’s month and count time.
- Print the result before leaving this page if you need a copy. Inputs are not saved.
Shelter occupancy is occupied bed-nights divided by available bed-nights for the same period, multiplied by 100. Use aggregate counts from your nightly log; choose changing capacity when usable bed numbers changed during that period. Your entries stay in this page and are not saved or sent with analytics.
Calculate your occupancy
Use operational beds, including occupied beds and unoccupied holds. Exclude beds out of service.
Enable JavaScript to use this calculator. You can also calculate manually with the formula and example below.
How to use it
- Choose the first and last nights in the reporting period. Both dates are included.
- For fixed capacity, enter the number of operational beds. For changing capacity, add consecutive date segments covering every night without gaps or overlaps.
- Enter occupied bed-nights: add the occupied bed count for each night. This is not the number of different people served.
- Calculate and review the totals. If occupancy exceeds 100%, check count times, overflow beds, and capacity definitions before using the result.
FICTIONAL EXAMPLE
Capacity changes halfway through the month
- September 1–15
- 20 operational beds × 15 nights = 300 available bed-nights.
- September 16–30
- 24 operational beds × 15 nights = 360 available bed-nights.
- Month total
- 594 occupied ÷ 660 available bed-nights × 100 = 90.0% occupancy.
What the terms mean
- Available bed-nights
- Operational bed capacity summed across every night, including occupied beds and unoccupied holds. This is not just vacant beds.
- Occupancy percentage
- Occupied bed-nights ÷ available bed-nights × 100. A zero denominator has no defined occupancy percentage.
- Capacity segment
- Consecutive nights with the same operational bed capacity. Enter zero-capacity segments for nights when the facility is closed.
Adapt it to your shelter
Use consistent bed-based definitions for both totals. Room-based capacity, unique residents, and official reporting measures need their own definitions. This tool does not assess staffing adequacy or eligibility.
Published by ShelterCurrent · Web guidance updated .
Calculator prepared September 8, 2026 · Version 1.1.
Sources and further reading
These references provide context. The downloads are original ShelterCurrent templates, not official forms or endorsed materials.
Check the records behind the percentage
An occupancy result depends on consistent capacity and attendance records. Review the difference between a bed being ready for placement and a person being present for the nightly count.
Explore the ShelterCurrent demo with fictional data. No account is required.