New York City’s unsheltered homeless count has hit a record.
The city found an estimated 4,991 people sleeping on streets, in parks, subways and other public spaces on the night of March 10 — the highest total since the annual count began in 2005.
That’s up 11% from 4,504 last year and roughly 45% from 3,439 in 2022.
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But the biggest change was above ground.
The number counted on streets and in other surface areas jumped 64% from last year. The subway count, meanwhile, fell 39% to its lowest level since the pandemic.
The figures come from the city’s annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate, or HOPE survey.
This year’s count was pushed from January to March after severe winter weather. That matters: the survey captures only one night, and warmer conditions can affect how many people are outside when volunteers count them.
Even with that caveat, the trend has been moving in one direction for years.
The city counted 3,439 unsheltered people in 2022, followed by 4,042 in 2023, 4,140 in 2024, 4,504 in 2025 and 4,991 this year. Those increases began under former Mayor Eric Adams and continued into Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first year in office.
4,991 people were counted unsheltered in NYC — the highest HOPE total on record — a milestone no city wants to hit.
The count is 11% higher than 2025 and roughly 45% above 2022 — a sustained multi-year surge with no sign of reversing.
Above-ground unsheltered homelessness jumped 64%, while the subway count fell 39% — suggesting enforcement pushed people out of the transit system and onto the streets.
The increase began years before Mamdani took office and has continued annually since 2022 — a problem that predates the current administration but now lands on its doorstep.
Mamdani has pledged to change the city’s approach to street homelessness and serious mental illness. His administration has also expanded some lower-barrier shelter options while continuing homeless encampment removals under the Department of Homeless Services.
But will it make a difference?
The next HOPE count will offer the first fuller measure of whether the trend changes under Mamdani.
More over at The New York Post:
NYC homelessness reaches alarming 5-year high in damning indictment on lefty policies: report https://t.co/q8bu0OSmKI pic.twitter.com/eZDovgw53d
— New York Post (@nypost) September 18, 2026
