What is AMI? Area median income, with real limits by city

AMI stands for area median income. It's the middle income of the families in an area, where half earn more and half earn less, and HUD, the federal housing department, estimates it every year. Affordable housing sets income limits as a share of that figure. In New York City, for example, the 60% limit for four people is $101,760.

What is AMI in housing?

HUD works out a median family income for each county and metro area, using Census Bureau survey data. Housing programs then publish limits at set steps of that number. Federal law gives HUD three named steps:

• 30%: extremely low income
• 50%: very low income
• 80%: low income

Other programs add steps of their own. MassHousing's chart, for example, lists a 60% step for tax-credit buildings, and the New York City and San Francisco charts run from 20% or 15% up past 150%. A listing that says "up to 60% AMI" means your household's income has to be at or below the 60% limit for your household size. If you're hunting for homes with limits like this, our guide to income-restricted apartments covers how the whole test works.

How does AMI become an income limit?

HUD's median is figured for a family of four. Everyone else gets a fixed fraction of it: 70% for one person, 80% for two, 90% for three, 108% for five and 116% for six. HUD adds 8 points for each person after that.

You can see it in San Francisco's official 2026 chart. At 100% of AMI, four people get $162,100. Two people get $129,700, which is 80% of that. One person gets $113,450, about 70%.

New York City words it differently. Its housing agency states the city's 2026 AMI as $152,700 for a three-person family, which is 90% of the four-person figure of $169,600. The chart is the same idea either way, so always read the row for your own household size.

So there are two moves. Pick the percent the unit is set at, then pick the row for your household size.

What does 60% of AMI mean in dollars?

Here are the 60% and 80% limits for two-person and four-person households in three areas. Each 60% figure also appears on a listing that's open as of October 5, 2026.

The sources are NYC's housing agency (Housing Preservation and Development, or HPD), San Francisco's Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, and MassHousing for the Boston area. All three build on HUD's numbers. San Francisco's area also covers San Mateo and Marin counties. Real listings that use these limits include Dix Avenue Apartments in Queens (40% to 60% bands), O’Farrell Towers in San Francisco (up to 60%) and Franklin Commons in Greater Boston (up to 60%).

For a different anchor, here is 100% of AMI, the median itself:

Chicago's figures come from the city's chart, and they're the limits on an open Chicago Housing Trust home for sale. A bit of arithmetic shows how much lower they sit: 60% of Chicago's four-person figure is $72,900 on the city's chart. That's roughly $29,000 below New York's 60% limit for the same four people.

What is 80% AMI?

80% AMI means a household earning up to 80% of the area median for its size. It's HUD's "low income" line, and it's one of the most common steps on our listings (more on that below).

In Greater Boston it works out to $109,700 for two people and $137,100 for four. In New York City it's $108,560 and $135,680. Those are not small incomes. A family of four earning $130,000 in New York City is under the 80% line, which is why "affordable housing" isn't only for people with very low pay.

Programs describe their steps differently, so read each listing. As of October 5, 2026, 880 of our 1,395 open listings state their income rules as a share of area median income. Among those, 317 name a 60% step and 297 name an 80% step.

Why do the same percent and different cities give different dollars?

Because the median itself differs. A four-person family's median is $121,500 in Chicago and $169,600 in New York City. A percent of a bigger number is a bigger number.

There's one more wrinkle. Boston's chart lists a median of $164,600 for four people, yet its 60% limit for four is $102,840. Plain 60% of $164,600 would be $98,760. HUD's published method can raise limits in places where rents are high compared with local incomes, so the tables, not a calculator, are the rule. If you're close to a limit, use the program's chart rather than your own math.

A real household, tested

Take two people with $90,000 of yearly income, before taxes. Programs have their own rules for what counts as income, so treat this as a rough test.

The same household sits over the 60% line in all three places and under the 80% line in all three. In Chicago, $90,000 would fit a unit set at 100% of the median, since that limit is $97,200 for two people.

How can I find the numbers for my area?

Start with the listing, which shows the limits that apply to that unit. Then look for the chart on your city or state housing agency's website; the ones above are examples. HUD publishes the underlying income limits for every county and metro area.

When you're ready to compare yourself to real homes, the free eligibility check checks your household size and income against the open listings we track, and what you type stays in your browser. You can also browse the listings page, read how the New York City housing lottery works, or look at New York City, San Francisco, Greater Boston and Chicago directly.