NYC spends more per homeless person than a typical household earns in a year, data shows

The city’s own numbers show the unsheltered population grew from 3,588 in fiscal year 2019 to 4,504 in fiscal year 2025, a 26% increase from pre-pandemic levels.

Over that same period, spending on services for the unsheltered jumped 262%, from $102 million to nearly $368 million.

That works out to roughly $81,700 per unsheltered person in FY 2025 — slightly more than the city’s median household income, though the comparison is only a broad benchmark since public spending and household earnings are not directly comparable.

FROM FREE BUSES TO CITY-OWNED GROCERY STORES, HERE ARE MAMDANI’S KEY ECONOMIC PROMISES
Still, the report notes that New York’s shelter system remains unusually large by national standards.

MAMDANI BUDGET POURS MILLIONS INTO DEI OFFICES AND CUTS 5,000 NYPD JOBS
More broadly, his $127 billion budget proposal calls for higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations, along with a possible 9.5% property tax increase if state lawmakers decline to act.

Whether that approach will ease the affordability crunch or further disrupt the housing market remains an open question, with critics warning that rent freezes and higher taxes could discourage investment and strain supply.

In the nation’s largest city and a global financial capital, the stakes of Mamdani’s agenda extend far beyond local politics.

The success or failure of his housing and tax proposals could shape not only the future of New York’s affordability crisis, but also the broader debate over regulation, taxation and progressive urban governance.

Mamdani’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.