Income limits by county: your share of area median income
Pick your county and household: your income as a percentage of the HUD median, and the 80%, 100% and 120% marks programs use.
Your income as a share of the Harris County median
91%
For 3 people: 100% of median = $93,600.
| HUD median family income (4 people) | $104,000 |
| 100% of median, 3 people | $93,600 |
| HUD 80% low-income limit, 3 people | $74,900 |
| 120% of median (common program cap) | $112,320 |
| HUD area | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area |
HUD FY 2026 income limits, effective May 1, 2026. Household sizes other than 4 use HUD's factors (70% for 1 person, 80% for 2, 90% for 3, 108% for 5…). HUD's own 80% limit can differ from 80% of the median where HUD caps or raises it.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · updated: HUD 2026 limits effective May 1, 2026 · Freddie Mac rate of October 15, 2026 · programs read on October 21, 2026
Down payment programs set their income limits as a percentage of area median income (AMI), and the median they mean is HUD's, published every spring for each county or metropolitan area. For fiscal year 2026, effective May 1, 2026, the median for a family of four runs from $35,700 in Oglala Lakota County, SD, to $205,500 in Santa Clara County, CA. It is $104,000 in Harris County, $108,100 in Los Angeles County and $164,400 in King County. For other household sizes HUD scales the median: 70% for one person, 80% for two, 90% for three, 108% for five. A household of three earning $85,000 in Harris County is therefore at 91% of AMI, under a 100% cap but above HUD's 80% low-income limit of $74,900. The calculator does this for any county and size.
Why HUD's median and not the census median
HUD starts from American Community Survey incomes, then applies its own rules: metropolitan areas are drawn as HUD defines them, some counties are split into separate areas, and New England is measured town by town. The figure that results is "median family income", for families, not all households, which is why it sits above the census household median most people quote. It is the figure every federal program and almost every state agency uses, so it is the one the calculator reads, for all 4,680 areas.
| County | Median, 4 people | 100%, 3 people | HUD 80% limit, 3 people | 120%, 3 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County, CA | $108,100 | $97,300 | $119,950 | $116,760 |
| Cook County, IL | $121,500 | $109,350 | $87,500 | $131,220 |
| Harris County, TX | $104,000 | $93,600 | $74,900 | $112,320 |
| Maricopa County, AZ | $112,400 | $101,150 | $80,950 | $121,380 |
| San Diego County, CA | $130,900 | $117,800 | $125,950 | $141,360 |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | $89,800 | $80,800 | $98,100 | $96,960 |
| Dallas County, TX | $121,100 | $109,000 | $87,250 | $130,800 |
| Kings County, NY | $104,300 | $93,850 | $122,150 | $112,620 |
| King County, WA | $164,400 | $147,950 | $105,000 | $177,540 |
| Clark County, NV | $98,200 | $88,400 | $76,000 | $106,080 |
| Bexar County, TX | $100,600 | $90,550 | $72,450 | $108,660 |
| Orange County, FL | $97,600 | $87,850 | $82,750 | $105,420 |
| Fulton County, GA | $117,800 | $106,000 | $84,850 | $127,200 |
| Denver County, CO | $144,000 | $129,600 | $96,150 | $155,520 |
| Wayne County, MI | $104,800 | $94,300 | $75,500 | $113,160 |
| Philadelphia County, PA | $122,700 | $110,450 | $88,350 | $132,540 |
From the median to the limit of a program
Agencies use three families of limits. HUD's own low-income limit, 80% of median adjusted for household size and with HUD's caps, is used by programs funded with federal HOME money and by many city grants. Bond-financed programs follow the federal tax rules: 100% of median for one or two people and 115% for three or more, or 120% and 140% in targeted areas, which is how Texas and New Jersey build their county tables. Other programs pick their own share, 120% or 140% of median, or a single statewide figure. The tool shows your percentage so you can read any of them.
The programs at your income
Help you may get in King County
$130,000
| Your income vs. area median for 3 people | 81% |
| HUD 80% income limit, 3 people | $105,000 |
| Down payment at 3.5% | $22,750 |
| Cash still needed with the help | $0 |
Household size changes more than you think
Adding a person raises the limit by about a tenth of the four-person median. A couple earning $95,000 in Harris County is at 114% of the median for two; with a child it drops to 101%. Bond programs jump at three people (from 100% to 115%), so a birth or an adult child moving in before closing can open a program that was closed. Agencies count the people who will live in the home, not dependents on a tax return.
Where the agency table wins
When a state agency publishes its own county table, the calculator uses it rather than HUD's median, because the lender applies the agency's figure. Texas, Ohio and New Jersey are transcribed in full. In other states, programs whose limits vary by county are flagged "check with the agency", with the link to the table.