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   the rEgion
 

info: Low and moderate income households

As part of its info series of bulletins, SANDAG recently released Low and Moderate Income Households, which describes income characteristics for regional households and household population as computed from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file. The 2006 ACS PUMS data are a one percent sample of households from the entire ACS sample. The ACS is sent to a sample of housing units each month throughout the nation and Puerto Rico and replaces the Census Bureau’s long form previously sent to residents every ten years. Income levels are used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine eligibility in its Section 8 housing programs. The City of San Diego also utilizes income levels to quality potential homebuyers for special first-time homebuyer programs. Likewise, one criteria of San Diego County’s Public Housing Program is a “low” income family.

San Diego Income Levels

Income levels are based on the Area Median Income (AMI) established by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The 2006 AMI for San Diego County is $64,000. The “extremely low,” “very low,” “low,” and “moderate” income limits are 30 percent, 50 percent, 80 percent, and 120 percent of the AMI, respectively. HCD may adjust these threshold dollar amounts due to a high cost of living. San Diego County’s adjusted income levels are reflected in the table below.

Table 1: Income Levels,
San Diego Region 2006

Table 1

Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development

Population and Households by Income Category

Collectively, 39.8 percent of San Diego region household fall in the “extremely low,” “very low,” and “low” categories. The “extremely low” income category is composed of 11.8 percent of total households. The “very low” income category comprises 11.1 percent of total households. The “low” category has the most households of the three lower income categories with 16.9 percent of total households.

Similarly, 9.8 percent of the county’s household population falls into the “extremely low” category, 11.3 percent falls into the “very low” category, and 16.9 percent falls in to the “low” category. The categories combined account for 38 percent of the region’s household population.

Table 2:
Households and Household Population by Income Level,
San Diego Region 2006

Table 2

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey PUMS, 2006; Compiled by SANDAG, March 2008

SANDAG info bulletins present information produced as part of the SANDAG overall planning program. The series contains population, housing, employment, land use, transportation, criminal justice, and other data, as well as occasional reports on other subjects of general interest. This report is financed with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation, state funds from Caltrans, and local funds from SANDAG member jurisdictions.

Project Manager

Kristen Rohanna, Associate Research Analyst
kroh@sandag.org; (619) 699-6918