New York City distributed more than $2.6 billion in cash assistance to residents in 2025, according to a Fox News Digital review of city records, marking the highest level of welfare payments in roughly 30 years. The scale of the payouts, which have not been matched since before former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's welfare reforms in the early 2000s, is likely to fuel debate over the city's social spending as it grapples with budget pressures and criticism of its handling of public assistance and homelessness.

The $2.6 billion in cash assistance reached a record 864,999 people in 2025. This represents a 71% increase from the $1.57 billion paid out in 2022, highlighting a sharp rise in both the number of recipients and the total cost to the city over a short period.