San Bernardino 2023 Income Limits

FY 2023 Income Limits Summary

NOTE: San Bernardino County is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA, so all information presented here applies to all of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA.

The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA contains the following areas: Riverside County, CA; and San Bernardino County, CA.

* The FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act changed the definition of extremely low-income to be the greater of 30/50ths (60 percent) of the Section 8 very low-income limit or the poverty guideline as established by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provided that this amount is not greater than the Section 8 50% very low-income limit. Consequently, the extremely low income limits may equal the very low (50%) income limits.

Income Limit areas are based on FY 2023 Fair Market Rent (FMR) areas. For information on FMRs, please see our associated FY 2023 Fair Market Rent documentation system.

Estimates of the 4-person Very Low-Income Limit (VLIL) for metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas are developed as follows:

1. Calculate Preliminary VLIL:The 4-person Very Low-Income Limit (VLIL) is based on 50% of the median family income estimated for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA. For a discussion of the estimated median family income please read here. Once the median family income is estimated and a preliminary 4-person Very Low-Income Limit is calculated (as 50% of median family income) a series of considerations required by statute are made, which are detailed in the next 4 steps.


2. High Housing Cost Adjustment: The 4-Person VLIL is increased if it is less than the amount at which 35 percent of it equals 85 percent of the annualized two-bedroom Section 8 40^th percentile FMR (this adjusts income limits upward for areas where rental housing costs are unusually high in relation to median income).


3. Low Housing Cost Adjustment: If the 4-Person VLIL exceeds 80% of the U.S. median family income, and the two bedroom 40^th percentile fair market rent is affordable (less than or equal to 30% of the preliminary VLIL), the VLIL will be reduced to the greater of 80% of U.S. median family income or the amount at which 30 percent of it equals the two-bedroom 40^th percentile FMR (this adjusts income limits downward for areas of unusually high median family incomes).


4. State Non-Metro Median Family Income Adjustment: The 4-Person VLIL is also adjusted if it would otherwise be lower than 50% of the State Non-Metro Median Family Income.


5. Ceilings and Floors: Since FY 2010, HUD has not allowed income limits to decrease by more than five percent, and not allowed income limits to increase by the greater of five percent or twice the annual change in national median family income.
   
   For FY 2023, the two most recent years of national median family income data are from the American Community Survey (ACS) in 2020 and 2021, at $84,394 and $85,806. However, because HUD did not use the ACS 2020 data for FY 2022 or FY 2023 Income Limits as the Census Bureau deemed it "experimental", HUD is retaining the 2019 ACS national median of $80,944. HUD compares this to the 2021 ACS national median family income of $85,806. This is a cumulative two-year change of 6.01%, or 2.96% on an annual basis. Two times 2.96% is 5.92%. This exceeds five percent, so the limit on increases in income limits is set at approximately 5.92%. (Note that HUD uses unrounded percentages in its actual calculations). The limit on decreases in income limits remains five percent.


6. Family Size Adjustments: Once the final 4-person income limit has been established, income limits for other family sizes are calculated by applying a percentage adjustment to the final 4-person VLIL. Calculation of income limits for other family sizes is straightforward. The 1-person family income limit is 70% of the 4-person income limit. The 2-person family income limit is 80% of the 4-person income limit, the 3-person family income limit is 90% of the 4-person income limit, the 5-person income limit is 108% of the 4-person income limit, the 6-person family income limit is 116% of the 4-person income limit, the 7-person family income limit is 124% of the 4-person income limit, and the 8-person family income limit is 132% of the 4-person income limit. For family sizes larger than 8 persons, the income limit can be calculated by adding an additional eight (8) percent per person to the next lower limit. For example a 9-person family income limit is 140% (132% + 8%), and so on. The resulting low-income limit amounts for other family sizes are then rounded up to the nearest $50 to produce the Final VLIL.

ROUNDING NOTE: Rounding is applied to make it easier for those wishing to replicate HUD's calculations. The 4-person preliminary VLIL is rounded to the nearest $50, whenever housing cost adjustments are applied. If the preliminary VLIL requires a floor to be applied, the floor is rounded up to the nearest $50 to ensure that it is greater than or equal to 95 percent of last year's four-person VLIL. Similarly, if the preliminary VLIL requires a ceiling to be applied, the ceiling is rounded down to the nearest $50. The resulting rounded 4-person final VLIL is used to calculate income limits for other family sizes. Once the low-income limit for other family sizes are calculated, they are then rounded up to the nearest $50, unless they already end in "00" or "50".

4-Person Very Low-Income Limit Calculation for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA

1. All information presented here applies to the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA which San Bernardino County is a part of. The estimated FY2023 Median Family Income and preliminary 4-Person VLIL for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA are as follows:

   Area	FY 2023 Estimate of Median Family Income	Preliminary 4-Person Very Low-Income Limit
   Family Size Adjustments and Final VLIL for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA
   1-Person	2-Person	3-Person	4-Person	5-Person	6-Person	7-Person	8-Person
   Family Size Adjustment	$46,600 * 0.70	$46,600 * 0.80	$46,600 * 0.90	$46,600 * 1	$46,600 * 1.08	$46,600 * 1.16	$46,600 * 1.24	$46,600 * 1.32
   Very Low Income Limit	$32,620	$37,280	$41,940	$46,600	$50,328	$54,056	$57,784	$61,512
   FY 2023 FINAL VLIL	$32,650	$37,300	$41,950	$46,600	$50,350	$54,100	$57,800	$61,550

   NOTE:The VLIL calculation for additional family sizes are rounded up to the nearest $50, unless it already ends in "00" or "50".