Eligibility for income-based housing isn’t a single national number — it’s set locally, and it varies enormously. Across the 2,635 HUD income-limit areas Lease Lantern tracks, the median Very Low Income limit for a family of four is about $44,900 (the 50%-of-area-median threshold most Section 8 programs use). But depending on where you live, that cutoff ranges from under $15,000 to over $108,000.
Where the limits are highest
In the most expensive metros, you can earn a surprisingly high income and still qualify, because limits track the local area median:
- Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA — $108,750 (family of four, 50% AMI)
- San Francisco, CA — $105,050
- San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA — $102,750
- Santa Ana–Anaheim–Irvine, CA — $93,050
- Santa Barbara, CA and Nantucket County, MA — $91,050
Where they are lowest
In low-cost rural areas the same family-of-four threshold can fall below $15,000 — for example several Puerto Rico nonmetro and exception areas sit around $13,950–$15,450. The gap between the highest and lowest areas is roughly sevenfold, which is why a national “income limit” figure is misleading.
How the thresholds work
Programs generally use three tiers: Extremely Low Income (about 30% of area median), Very Low Income (50%), and Low Income (80%). The deepest assistance — public housing and most Section 8 vouchers — targets the 30% level, while Low-Income Housing Tax Credit units commonly use 60–80%. Limits also rise with household size. The only way to know your number is to look up your own area: see our income limits by state and metro, then learn what income-based housing is and how to apply.
These figures come from HUD’s FY2026 Income Limits and are updated every year, so a household that didn’t qualify last year may qualify after an adjustment — it’s worth rechecking annually.
Why this varies so much
The reason a family of four can earn six figures and still qualify in coastal California, yet faces a sub-$15,000 cutoff in rural areas, is that the limits are pegged to each area’s own median income. High-cost regions have high medians, so their affordable-housing thresholds rise with them. That design keeps the programs meaningful in expensive markets, but it also means eligibility advice you read for one metro rarely transfers to another. Before assuming you earn too much to qualify, look up your specific county or metro — many working households are surprised to find they fall within the limits, especially for tax-credit units that use the higher 60–80% thresholds. Because HUD revises these numbers each spring, it is worth checking again every year rather than relying on a past determination.