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.
Income limits are calculated based on the census’s American Community Survey percentages of median incomes by family size.
HUD released its 2017 numbers in mid-April, including information in this chart for King County.
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:
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.