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Family making $72,000 considered ‘low income' in King County

File photo of Seattle

A family of four with an income of $72,000 is considered low income in King County, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s latest income limits.

HUD released its 2017 income limits in mid-April.

Income limits determine eligibility for assisted housing programs including public housing and Section 8 vouchers.

HUD released its 2017 numbers in mid-April, including information in this chart for King County.

FY 2017 Income Limit Category
Persons in Family
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Very Low (50%) Income Limits ($) 33,600 38,400 43200 48,000 51,850 55,700 59,550 63,400
Extremely Low Income Limits ($)* 20,200 23,050 25,950 28,800 31,150 33,450 37,140 41,320
Low (80%) Income Limits ($) 50,400 57,600 64,800 72,000 77,800 83,550 89,300 95,050

Income limits are calculated based on the census’s American Community Survey percentages of median incomes by family size.

The median income in King County is $96,000. A $72,000 income for a family of four is considered ‘low-income’ by federal authorities, because it is less than 80 percent of the median income.

These families, however, may not qualify for Section 8 vouchers in the King County area.

Since January, thousands of people in the Seattle area have applied for a spot on the waiting list for a voucher, with the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) and King County Housing Authority (KCHA).

To qualify for the SHA voucher, one must make less than 50 percent of the area median income. So a family of four would making $72,000 would not qualify.

See this KIRO 7 story from January about how the Seattle voucher lottery works.

Both SHA and KCHA focus on serving people making under 30 percent of area median income (AMI).

KCHA does not turn away families making 80 percent AMI, however, as long as those families also have one of the following circumstances:

  • You must be homeless, live in substandard-condition housing, pay more than 50 percent of your household income on rent and utilities, or have household income at or below 30 percent of AMI for your family size (see chart above).
  • Have at least one family member under the age of 18, elderly or disabled.  Single, non-disabled adults younger than age 62 do not qualify.
  • Not currently live in subsidized housing.

Seattle isn’t the only city in which families earning over the median national income – totaling to nearly $56,500 – could be considered for federal help to afford housing.

Vox reported that in San Francisco, a family of four with the median income of $105,000 a year would qualify for Section 8 vouchers.