SAN JOSE, Calif. – In the high-priced Bay Area, even some households that bring in six figures a year can now be considered "low income."
That's according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which recently released its 2017 income limits — a threshold that determines who can qualify for affordable and subsidized housing programs such as Section 8 vouchers.
San Francisco and San Mateo counties have the highest limits in the Bay Area — and among the highest such numbers in the country. A family of four with an income of $105,350 per year is considered "low income." A $65,800 annual income is considered "very low" for a family the same size, and $39,500 is "extremely low." The median income for those areas is $115,300.
The new federal income limits are higher than last year and previous years, a reflection of the rising incomes and cost of living in the Bay Area. The increases will allow people at the upper tiers of the "low-income" limits access to some affordable housing programs from which they were previously disqualified.
"We've significantly increased income limits at every income level — that means more housing opportunity (because it) broadens the pool of individuals and families," said Ed Cabrera, a HUD public affairs officer. "I think it's fair to say that these income limits are one way to gauge livability and affordability."
Jeff Levin, policy director for East Bay Housing Organizations, said the market has shifted "dramatically" over the past two decades, forcing renters to spend significantly more on average.
In Oakland, the median income for renter households is around $40,000, which means that more than half of all renter families qualify as very low income.
