In Denver, a single person is considered low income if they earn $72,950 or less per year, the figure HUD sets at 80% of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro Area Median Income for FY2025. The dollar amount rises with household size, and several assistance programs use stricter cutoffs below that ceiling, so the number that applies to you depends on which program you’re measuring against.1HUD USER. FY2025 Adjusted HOME Income Limits
How the Low-Income Number Is Set
Each year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development calculates the Area Median Income for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The AMI is the midpoint of the region’s income distribution: half of households earn more, half earn less. For FY2025, a single person at 100% AMI earns $98,100, and a four-person household hits that midpoint at $140,100.2DenverGov. 2025 HOME Income Limits
HUD then slices AMI into standardized tiers — 80%, 60%, 50%, and 30% — and nearly every housing program in Denver uses one of them as its gateway. The tiers are adjusted for household size, so a family of six has a higher dollar threshold than a couple at the same percentage of the median. The current figures took effect June 1, 2025, and reflect gross annual income before taxes or deductions.
Denver Income Limits by Household Size
Low Income (80% AMI)
This is the broadest qualifying tier and the one most people mean when they say “low income” in Denver.1HUD USER. FY2025 Adjusted HOME Income Limits
- 1 person: $72,950
- 2 persons: $83,400
- 3 persons: $93,800
- 4 persons: $104,200
- 5 persons: $112,550
- 6 persons: $120,900
- 7 persons: $129,250
- 8 persons: $137,550
60% AMI
The 60% bracket is the number most income-restricted apartment landlords check, because it applies to properties financed through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.
- 1 person: $58,860
- 2 persons: $67,260
- 3 persons: $75,660
- 4 persons: $84,060
- 5 persons: $90,840
- 6 persons: $97,560
- 7 persons: $104,280
- 8 persons: $111,000
Very Low Income (50% AMI)
Most Housing Choice Voucher and public housing applicants must fall below these limits to be eligible.
- 1 person: $49,050
- 2 persons: $56,050
- 3 persons: $63,050
- 4 persons: $70,050
- 5 persons: $75,700
- 6 persons: $81,300
- 7 persons: $86,900
- 8 persons: $92,500
Extremely Low Income (30% AMI)
The most restrictive tier, and the one federal rules prioritize for new voucher admissions.
- 1 person: $29,450
- 2 persons: $33,650
- 3 persons: $37,850
- 4 persons: $42,050
- 5 persons: $45,450
- 6 persons: $48,800
- 7 persons: $52,150
- 8 persons: $55,550
The gap between tiers is wide. A single person at the extremely low threshold earns roughly $43,500 less per year than one at the low-income ceiling, and that difference determines which doors are open to you.
What Each Tier Qualifies You For
Falling into the 80% low-income tier opens the broadest set of programs but offers the fewest slots. Many city and county housing options draw from this group, but availability is limited.
For a Housing Choice Voucher through the Denver Housing Authority, you generally need to qualify as very low income at 50% AMI. Even then, qualifying is not the same as receiving a voucher. Federal rules require that at least 75% of families newly admitted to a voucher program each fiscal year come from the extremely low-income bracket at 30% AMI.3eCFR. 24 CFR 982.201 – Eligibility and Targeting In practice, the deepest need gets priority, demand consistently outstrips supply, and DHA opens and closes its waiting lists depending on capacity.
If you’re admitted, every income source gets verified: wages, Social Security, disability, pensions, even recurring gifts from family. Housing authorities estimate your income for the coming 12 months at admission and then review your actual income every year.4eCFR. 24 CFR 5.609 – Annual Income If your earnings rise above the qualifying threshold during your tenancy, your subsidy may shrink or you may eventually transition out of the program.
A Different Yardstick for Food, Heating, and Cash Aid
Housing programs use AMI, but most other benefits in Denver measure need against the Federal Poverty Level, a national figure updated each January by the Department of Health and Human Services. For 2026, the poverty line is $15,960 for a single person and $33,000 for a family of four.5U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines Each program then multiplies that baseline by its own percentage.
SNAP
SNAP requires gross monthly income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level. For October 2025 through September 2026, the monthly limits are:6Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
- 1 person: $1,696
- 2 persons: $2,292
- 3 persons: $2,888
- 4 persons: $3,483
- 5 persons: $4,079
Households with an elderly or disabled member can deduct qualifying medical expenses above $35 per month from countable income, which can bring borderline households under the limit. Only out-of-pocket costs not covered by insurance count, and the $35 floor applies to the household’s combined medical expenses.7Food and Nutrition Service. Guide to the Treatment of Medical Expenses for Elderly or Disabled Household Members
LEAP
Colorado’s Low-Income Energy Assistance Program helps with winter heating costs. LEAP does not use the federal poverty level. Eligibility is based on 60% of the state median income, the program runs seasonally from roughly November through April, and applicants must have a heating cost obligation to qualify.8Colorado Department of Human Services. Colorado Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP)
Colorado Works
Colorado Works is the state’s version of federal TANF, offering cash assistance, employment services, and childcare support for families with children. Thresholds are set by the state rather than a fixed federal formula, and the cash assistance component has notably strict eligibility, well below the levels used for SNAP or LEAP. Denver Human Services handles applications.
Asset Limits Can Disqualify You Even Below the Income Line
Income is the main test, but it isn’t the only one. Families receiving a Housing Choice Voucher or living in public housing face a net asset cap of $105,574 as of January 2026, adjusted annually for inflation.9HUD USER. 2026 HUD Inflation-Adjusted Values Families are also ineligible if they own real property suitable for the household to live in. When net assets fall below $50,000, housing authorities can accept a self-certification instead of requiring full documentation.
SNAP asset rules differ. The federal limit is $3,000 for most households and $4,500 for households with a member who is at least 60 or has a disability.10USDA Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY 2026 COLA Memo Colorado, however, uses broad-based categorical eligibility, which eliminates the asset test entirely for households with gross income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.11Colorado Department of Human Services. SNAP Broad Based Categorical Eligibility Categories Most Denver SNAP applicants will never need to report their bank balance.