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.

The numbers show the city is pouring in more money while the street homeless population continues to grow - and taxpayers are footing the bill.

Still, the report notes that New York's shelter system remains unusually large by national standards. 

While Mamdani has proposed freezing rents on roughly 2 million stabilized apartments, many economists argue that rent freezes may shield current tenants in the short term while worsening the city's long-term housing shortage - doing little to solve the supply crisis at the root of New York's homelessness problem.

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.

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