As the Bay Area’s housing crisis continues to intensify, new data shows just how hard it is to even qualify as middle-class anymore. Across several California counties, the threshold for being a “low-income” household had surged by $30,000 in just half a decade, putting things like homeownership out of reach for many. Add to that the region’s dismal housing construction rates, and it’s clear that even greater affordability challenges are ahead.

The information stems from a California Department of Housing and Community Development report released in April with 2025 income limits for counties throughout the state. HCD takes federal income data, adjusts it for household size and then calculates five income categories (from acutely low to moderate) as percentages of each area’s median income. These limits are then used to determine who qualifies for housing assistance.

Four Bay Area counties — Marin, San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara — saw their low-income limit for a single-person household cross the six-figure threshold, with one increasing by more than $30,000 since 2020. 

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