What is considered ‘low income’ in California? Map shows limit in all 58 counties
Low income in California is defined by a different dollar amount depending on which county you live in.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development Division released its latest income limit report for all of California’s 58 counties in June. The report is calculated annually and it breaks down income limits for family sizes of up to eight with tiers: acutely low, extremely low, very low income, median income and moderate income.
What is considered ‘low income’ in California?
State income limits are calculated yearly based on federal guidelines. They determine eligibility for income-driven programs, such as affordable housing.
Below are low income limits for all 58 California counties, for a household of one, according to the state’s department of housing:
California median income
The state’s median income for 2023 sits at $109,200, an increase from last year’s state median income of $101,600, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD bases its state median for income limits on surveys of local-area median income.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, median household income in the state was $84,097. The census accounts for median incomes for households, and factors in working family members as young as 15-years-of-age in a household. The median income is calculated on the “total number of families and households.”
The median income for California metropolitan counties slightly exceeds the state overall at $110,000. Some metropolitan counties, like San Francisco, have low income thresholds as high as $104,400.
However, for non-metropolitan California counties, the median income is about $83,800.
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