I live in a big city and most panhandlers make a bee line for the touristy areas, or areas with a lot of college students.

I see many homeless young and old, most don't panhandle, many go around collecting cans and bottles for $. Most are male. And most are definitely mentally ill [watched a young schizophrenic guy screaming at a statue of George Washington, scaring the shit out of some foreign tourist a while back, saw him again a few days ago in a sleeping bag right by a very expensive hotel.], and of course alcoholics, drug addicts, released prisoners.