The full income-limit grid
The numbers below are the maximum annual gross household income at each AMI tier in Texas. Read across to see how the ceiling rises with household size; read down to compare the three tiers most federal programs use. The 50% AMI column is the operative ceiling for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and most project-based Section 8 buildings. The 30% AMI column is what most priority programs use — Emergency Housing Vouchers, Continuum of Care permanent supportive housing, Section 811 disability housing, and the 75% set-aside HUD requires for new Section 8 admissions. The 80% AMI column is the broadest ceiling, used by Public Housing, HOME-funded programs, and most state-funded down-payment assistance.
| Household size | Extremely Low 30% AMI |
Very Low 50% AMI |
Low 80% AMI |
Family-size detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-person (an individual renter) | $18,450 | $30,750 | $49,150 | Family of 1 in Texas → |
| 2-person (a couple or two-person household) | $21,050 | $35,100 | $56,200 | Family of 2 in Texas → |
| 3-person (a family of three) | $23,700 | $39,500 | $63,200 | Family of 3 in Texas → |
| 4-person (a family of four) | $26,350 | $43,900 | $70,250 | Family of 4 in Texas → |
| 5-person (a family of five) | $28,450 | $47,400 | $75,850 | Family of 5 in Texas → |
| 6-person (a family of six) | $30,550 | $50,900 | $81,500 | Family of 6 in Texas → |
| 7-person (a family of seven) | $32,650 | $54,450 | $87,100 | Family of 7 in Texas → |
| 8-person (a family of eight) | $34,750 | $57,950 | $92,700 | Family of 8 in Texas → |
Limits shown are statewide approximations derived from HUD's published state-level Area Median Income and HUD's standard family-size adjustment factors (70/80/90/100/108/116/124/132% for 1- through 8-person households). Actual HUD income limits are published per metro / non-metro county and can be 10–25% higher in high-cost coastal areas. The source is HUD User's Income Limits dataset.
How Texas compares
Texas's 4-person Area Median Income — the anchor figure HUD uses for every other family-size calculation — is $87,800. That puts Texas in the middle of the national distribution. Income ceilings are average, but how those ceilings translate to housing affordability depends heavily on the metro: a renter at 50% AMI in a low-cost city can usually find market-rate housing they can afford, while the same renter in the largest metro will not.
HUD adjusts the 4-person figure for other household sizes using fixed factors. A 1-person household qualifies at 70% of the 4-person limit; a 2-person at 80%; a 3-person at 90%; a 5-person at 108%; a 6-person at 116%; a 7-person at 124%; an 8-person at 132%. For households larger than 8, HUD adds 8 percentage points per additional person.
Fair Market Rent in Texas's largest metros
Fair Market Rent (FMR) is HUD's estimate of the 40th-percentile gross rent in each metro and is the cap on what a Section 8 voucher will cover unless the local PHA has set a higher Payment Standard. Compare these to the income limits above: a Section 8 household pays roughly 30% of adjusted income toward rent, so the affordable rent for a 50%-AMI family of four is in the range of $1,098/month — well below the 2BR FMR in most major Texas metros, which is why the voucher matters.
| Metro | Studio | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | $903 | $1,136 | $1,456 | $1,893 | $2,257 |
| San Antonio | $852 | $1,072 | $1,374 | $1,786 | $2,130 |
| Dallas | $1,009 | $1,270 | $1,628 | $2,116 | $2,523 |
| Austin | $1,085 | $1,365 | $1,750 | $2,275 | $2,713 |
| Fort Worth | $900 | $1,133 | $1,452 | $1,888 | $2,251 |
What counts as "income" in Texas
HUD's definition of "annual income" is broad. It counts wages and salaries, self-employment net income, Social Security benefits (including SSI and SSDI), pensions, regular gifts received, child support and alimony actually received, and asset income (interest, dividends, rental income, the imputed return on assets above $50,000). It does not count one-time payments like tax refunds or insurance settlements, the income of household members under 18, the earnings of a live-in aide, food stamps (SNAP), or the first $480 of any earned income from a household member who is a full-time student over 18.
HUD then deducts a standard $480 per dependent and a $525 elderly/disabled household deduction (plus actual childcare and medical expenses above 3% of income for elderly/disabled households) to arrive at "adjusted income" — the figure used to calculate your monthly tenant share of rent (typically 30% of adjusted income).
Programs available in Texas
- Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) · income cap ≤ 50% AMI · Local Public Housing Agency
- Public Housing · income cap ≤ 80% AMI · Local Public Housing Agency
- Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) · income cap ≤ 50% AMI · Property owner under HUD contract
- Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) · income cap ≤ 60% AMI · Property owner / state housing finance agency
- HOME Investment Partnerships Program · income cap ≤ 80% AMI · State or local housing agency
- USDA Rural Development Section 521 · income cap ≤ 80% AMI · USDA Rural Development
- Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) · income cap ≤ 50% AMI · Local Public Housing Agency
- Continuum of Care (CoC) · income cap ≤ 30% AMI · Local CoC lead agency
- Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly · income cap ≤ 50% AMI · Nonprofit owner under HUD contract
- Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities · income cap ≤ 30% AMI · Nonprofit owner / state housing agency
- HUD-VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) · income cap ≤ 50% AMI · PHA + VA Medical Center
- Family Unification Program (FUP) · income cap ≤ 50% AMI · PHA + child welfare agency
Where to apply in Texas
The application process runs at the Public Housing Agency level. Texas has 390 PHAs, each with its own waiting list, application window, and local preferences. The largest agencies are listed below. If you don't see your city, try the nearest larger one — many PHAs administer vouchers for surrounding counties under cooperation agreements.
- Austin TX Housing Authority — Austin, TX · 1,517 units · 4,482 vouchers · Closed (last update varies)
- Dallas TX Housing Authority — Dallas, TX · 1,629 units · 4,250 vouchers · Closed (last update varies)
- Housing Authority of Lubbock — Lubbock, TX · 116 units · 3,369 vouchers · Open with preferences
- El Paso Housing Authority — El Paso, TX · 1,367 units · 2,079 vouchers · Closed
- Housing Authority of Irving — Irving, TX · 1,704 units · 1,227 vouchers · Open with preferences
For the complete Texas rental assistance overview — including a step-by-step application walkthrough — see Rental Assistance in Texas.