For a single person in California, low income generally means earning no more than 80% of the area median income in the county where you live. The dollar figure attached to that percentage swings widely: a single person qualifies as low income at up to $108,300 per year in San Francisco, but only up to $52,600 in Fresno. Those thresholds come from HUD’s FY 2025 limits, which California’s Department of Housing and Community Development adopts for its affordable housing programs.1HUD User. FY2025 Adjusted HOME Income Limits There is no single statewide “low income” number because the limits are pegged to local wages and housing costs.
The Three Income Tiers
California law sorts households into three brackets below the median, each tied to a share of the area median income (AMI) in your county. Health and Safety Code Section 50079.5 defines “lower income households” as those earning 80% or less of the local median, adjusted for household size.2California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 50079.5 Two deeper categories sit below that:
- Low income, at 80% of AMI, is the broadest tier and opens the door to many rent-restricted apartments, workforce housing, and first-time homebuyer programs.
- Very low income, at 50% of AMI, carries higher priority for Section 8 vouchers and deeper rental subsidies.
- Extremely low income, at 30% of AMI, is the most restrictive and is the primary focus of emergency housing and social services.
HCD is required by Health and Safety Code Section 50093 to publish these limits each year based on federal HUD data, adjusted for family size.3California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 50093 Property managers and local housing agencies rely on the published figures to set rent caps and screen applicants.
Single-Person Income Limits by County
Below are FY 2025 limits for a single-person household in several major California counties, effective June 1, 2025.1HUD User. FY2025 Adjusted HOME Income Limits
- San Francisco County: low income $108,300, very low $67,700, extremely low $40,600
- Los Angeles County: low income $84,850, very low $53,000, extremely low $19,750
- Riverside–San Bernardino: low income $62,650, very low $39,200, extremely low $23,500
- Fresno County: low income $52,600, very low $32,900, extremely low $19,750
A single person earning $80,000 falls just under the low-income ceiling in Los Angeles and could qualify for rent-restricted housing. Move to Riverside and that same person sits well above the $62,650 threshold. The income did not change; the local economy being measured against it did.
If you are applying to a specific affordable housing development, ask which income limit set it uses. The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee publishes its own, more granular tiers (60%, 55%, 45%, and so on) for tax-credit-funded projects, and TCAC figures can differ slightly from HUD’s for the same county.4California State Treasurer. 2025 Maximum Income Levels
Why a Single-Person Figure Isn’t One-Quarter of the Family Number
HUD builds its limits around a four-person household and scales down for smaller ones. For a single person, the limit is 70% of the four-person figure, not 25%.5HUD User. Methodology for Determining FY 2025 Section 8 Income Limits So if the four-person median in San Francisco is $186,600, the one-person equivalent is about $130,600.6Department of Housing and Community Development. 2025 State Income Limits Briefing Materials The 70% multiplier reflects the fact that a solo renter still faces most of the fixed costs a family does: rent, utilities, transportation.
Why the County Numbers Vary So Much
The gap between San Francisco’s $108,300 low-income ceiling and Fresno’s $52,600 traces back to one metric: the area median income. AMI is the midpoint of household earnings in a region, with half of households above and half below. Because wages, home prices, and rents on the coast run far higher than in the Central Valley or Inland Empire, the AMI in coastal counties pulls the income limits up with it.1HUD User. FY2025 Adjusted HOME Income Limits
Santa Clara County shows the top end. Its one-person median income is $136,650, the highest in the state.6Department of Housing and Community Development. 2025 State Income Limits Briefing Materials A low-income ceiling above $100,000 for a single person would sound absurd in most of the country, but it tracks the reality that a one-bedroom in San Jose routinely runs $2,500 or more a month.
Benefit Programs Use a Different Yardstick
The AMI-based housing limits are not the only definition of “low income” that matters. Several major benefit programs are tied instead to the federal poverty level (FPL), which is the same across the 48 contiguous states and does not adjust for California’s higher costs. For 2026, the poverty guideline for a single person is $15,960.7Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines Qualifying for one program does not automatically qualify you for another.
Medi-Cal
Most single adults qualify for Medi-Cal if their income falls at or below 138% of the federal poverty level, which works out to roughly $22,025 per year based on the 2026 guidelines.7Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines The California Department of Health Care Services publishes the corresponding threshold once it incorporates the new federal figure.8DHCS. Medi-Cal Eligibility Chart
CalFresh
CalFresh, California’s SNAP program, uses a gross monthly income limit. For a single-person household, the current threshold is $2,610 per month, or about $31,320 per year.9SFHSA. Check CalFresh Eligibility Allowable deductions for rent, medical costs, and similar expenses can bring eligibility within reach even if your gross income sits near the top of the range.
LIHEAP
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps with heating and cooling bills. Federal rules cap LIHEAP at 150% of the poverty guidelines, but California uses 60% of state median income as its threshold, whichever is higher.10The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Income Eligibility for States and Territories Because California’s median is relatively high, the 60% SMI figure tends to cover more households than the federal floor would alone.
What Counts as Income
This is where applications often stumble. California housing programs and most federal assistance programs count your gross income, meaning the amount before taxes, retirement contributions, or health insurance premiums come out. Not your take-home pay.11California Department of Housing and Community Development. Calculating Annual Gross Income A paycheck that reads $3,500 after deductions on a $4,800 gross salary is still counted at $4,800.
Self-employment is the main exception. If you run a business or freelance, agencies use net income: gross revenue minus business expenses, loan interest, and straight-line depreciation.11California Department of Housing and Community Development. Calculating Annual Gross Income That can help applicants whose revenue looks high on paper but whose actual profit falls inside program limits.
Some income is excluded entirely by federal law when you apply for housing assistance. Student financial aid funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, CalFresh benefits, LIHEAP payments, and child care subsidies under the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant do not count toward your income.12Federal Register. Federally Mandated Exclusions From Income – Updated Listing If you are close to a cutoff, knowing what gets left out can be the difference between qualifying and missing by a hair.
Asset Limits Can Disqualify You Even If Your Income Fits
Qualifying on income alone is not always enough. Under the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, households applying for Section 8 vouchers or other federal rental assistance cannot hold more than $100,000 in net assets, and you are also ineligible if you own residential property suitable for your household to live in. Applicants with net assets under $50,000 can self-certify; above that, expect to provide documentation.13California Department of Housing and Community Development. Income Limits
Medi-Cal’s asset rules work differently. For most adults under 65 without a disability, there is no asset test. The test still applies if you are 65 or older, have a disability, live in a nursing home, or earn too much to qualify under standard federal tax rules. In those cases, the limit is $130,000 for a single person. Starting January 1, 2026, Medi-Cal also began a 30-month look-back period for asset transfers before entering a nursing facility, meaning gifts or transfers made on or after that date could delay coverage.14DHCS. Asset Limit Frequently Asked Questions
How to Check Where You Stand
Pull your county’s current income limits from HCD, which publishes a downloadable table covering every jurisdiction in the state.13California Department of Housing and Community Development. Income Limits Look up the one-person figures at the 80%, 50%, and 30% tiers for your county, then compare those against your gross annual income. If you are self-employed, use your net profit from your most recent tax return.
For Medi-Cal and CalFresh, the comparison is simpler: check your gross income against each program’s published threshold for a household of one. Medi-Cal sits at roughly $22,025 based on 2026 federal poverty guidelines, and CalFresh’s gross monthly limit is $2,610.8DHCS. Medi-Cal Eligibility Chart Because housing programs use AMI while health and food programs use the federal poverty level, running your numbers against each program separately is the only reliable way to know what you qualify for.