About Income Limits by County

Income Limits by County turns HUD's Fair Market Rent and income limit files into one readable page per county, metro area and ZIP code.

Who runs it

Income Limits by County is an independent reference site. It is not part of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or any housing agency, and it does not take applications or decide eligibility. For a decision about a voucher, a unit or an application, contact the local public housing agency or the property.

Data and method

• Fair Market Rents: HUD FY2027 county-level FMR file and the FMR history file (1983–2027), effective October 1, 2026.
• Small Area FMRs: HUD FY2027 SAFMR file with 90% and 110% payment standard columns; FY2026 SAFMR file for the change column. Mandatory areas from HUD's designated SAFMR list (last updated August 2024).
• Income limits: HUD FY2026 Section 8 income limits (effective May 1, 2026) and FY2025 for the change in median income; FY2026 Multifamily Tax Subsidy Project limits for the 60% column and HERA hold-harmless limits.
• ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA-to-county relationship file to place ZIP codes in counties (largest land area wins); GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0) for place names and coordinates.

HUD's numbers are shown exactly as published. Our own arithmetic is limited to: changes between years; population-weighted state and national averages (weights from HUD's 2024 population column); ranks; the income needed to afford a rent at 30% of income (FMR × 12 ÷ 0.3, rounded to $100); and, for New England counties, choosing the HUD area with the most residents for the headline figures. All towns are listed on the county page.

The household check compares the income you enter with the published limits for the household size you pick. It does not apply any program's rules for counting income or assets.

Updates

HUD publishes new FMRs each August or September (effective October 1) and new income limits each spring. We rebuild the site when new files appear. Files used for this version were downloaded on October 7, 2026.

Corrections

If a figure here does not match HUD's file, please tell us through the contact page and include the county or ZIP code.