Counties in California by area median family income (HUD), 2026
Santa Clara County had the highest area median family income (HUD) of 58 counties in 2026, at $205,500. Lake County had the lowest, at $72,400. The median was $104,550. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.
Map of counties, 2026
- Under 85K
- 85K to 94K
- 94K to 100K
- 100K to 120K
- 120K to 140K
- 140K and over
All counties, 2026
Full ranking
Other periods
About this ranking
Median annual family income, in US dollars, that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates for the HUD area that contains the county, for the fiscal year.
More on how it is measured
- HUD bases it on American Community Survey family incomes, brought forward to the fiscal year, and uses it to set income limits for its programs: the very low income limit is 50 percent and the low income limit 80 percent of the area median for a family of four, with adjustments.
- Often called AMI.
A program parameter, not a survey estimate for the county itself: it differs from the Census Bureau median household income and from the American Community Survey median family income of the county. HUD sets one value per HUD area, a metropolitan area (sometimes split into HUD Metro FMR Areas) or a non-metropolitan county, so every county of a metropolitan area shows the same figure. Counties in the six New England states have no value, because HUD defines their areas by town and a county can span several areas. Where HUD splits off part of a county, the county value is the rest of the county: Howard County, Maryland, without Columbia until FY2015, and Crawford County, Missouri, without its part of Sullivan. The year is HUD's federal fiscal year: FY2027 runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il26/Section8-FY26.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. (2026). HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars (Counties in California by area median family income (HUD), 2026) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il26/Section8-FY26.xlsx
MLA 9
HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in California by area median family income (HUD), 2026. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 16 Apr. 2026, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il26/Section8-FY26.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/california-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2026. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Counties in California by area median family income (HUD), 2026. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il26/Section8-FY26.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/california-counties.
Harvard
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2026) HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in California by area median family income (HUD), 2026 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il26/Section8-FY26.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/california-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_california_by_2026,
author = {{U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research}},
title = {{HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in California by area median family income (HUD), 2026}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il26/Section8-FY26.xlsx},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/california-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il26/Section8-FY26.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
TI - HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in California by area median family income (HUD), 2026
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/04/16
PB - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
DB - Invokely
UR - https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il26/Section8-FY26.xlsx
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/california-counties
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/california-counties.
N1 - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il26/Section8-FY26.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank Counties in California by area median family income (HUD) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"area_median_family_income","level":"province","within":"California","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=area_median_family_income&level=province&within=California&limit=10Questions
Which county has the highest area median family income (HUD)?
Santa Clara County, with $205,500 in 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.
Which county has the lowest area median family income (HUD)?
Lake County, with $72,400 in 2026.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.