What income tier are you in for housing assistance?
Estimate your Area Median Income percentage to see which housing programmes you may qualify for.
Where are you looking?
HUD sets income limits by county and household size, not by ZIP code. The metro figures here are approximations — use the manual option if you know your county’s published limit.
Rough estimate only. These are approximate metro-level medians, not HUD’s official income limits — HUD publishes those per county and household size, and your programme will use those. Check yours at huduser.gov income limits.
How Area Median Income affects housing assistance
Government housing programs use "Area Median Income" (AMI) to determine eligibility. The lower your income as a percentage of AMI in your area, the more assistance you qualify for. Someone earning 30% of AMI has priority for Section 8 vouchers and public housing, while someone at 80% of AMI may qualify for income-restricted apartments or first-time homebuyer grants. This tool uses approximate metro-level median incomes and applies HUD's standard household-size adjustments, so treat the result as a first-pass estimate. HUD publishes the binding limits per county at huduser.gov, and that is what your programme will use.
Common questions
What does AMI actually mean?
Area Median Income is the midpoint income for a household in your area, published each year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for every metropolitan area and county. Half of local households earn more than the median and half earn less. Programme limits are then set as a percentage of it and adjusted for household size.
What counts as low income?
HUD uses three bands. Income at or below 80 percent of AMI is classed as low income, 50 percent as very low income, and 30 percent as extremely low income. Most HUD rental assistance targets households at or below 50 percent, and housing authorities must direct the large majority of new vouchers to households at or below 30 percent.
Why is my limit different from someone in the next county?
Limits are calculated per area, not nationally, so identical incomes can qualify in one county and not the next. HUD also applies adjustments and caps that can hold a fast-rising area's limits below its actual median.
How often do the limits change?
Annually. HUD publishes new income limits each year and programmes adopt them on a set date, so a limit you were quoted last year may no longer apply.
Does being under 80 percent of AMI mean I will get housing?
No. Income eligibility is one requirement among several, and demand far exceeds supply. Most housing authorities maintain waiting lists, and many keep them closed for long periods, so applying as soon as a list opens matters more than the exact income figure.
Which programmes use AMI limits?
Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), public housing, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, HOME-funded units, and a large number of state and local affordable housing programmes all set eligibility as a percentage of area median income.