Bay Area families who make $117,000 can qualify for housing aid. What about SLO County?

The rising cost of living in California has changed the definition of low income — some households bringing in six figures now qualify for housing assistance, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

A family of four in San Luis Obispo County must earn $66,550 or less a year to be considered low income, while a household of the same size in Marin County must bring in $117,400 annually.

HUD calculations are based on the region's area median income and are used to determine whether households qualify for certain types of housing.

Low-income families earn 80 percent of the area median income, very low-income families earn 50 percent and extremely low income families earn about 30 percent. Certain types of housing assistance are available only to individuals in certain categories.

HUD's definition of low income varies wildly throughout the state, from more than $100,000 for a family of four in the Bay Area to $47,750 for a family of the same size living in Fresno County.

A Santa Barbara County family of four must earn $80,300 to be considered low income, while a Monterey County family must earn $66,800.

Visit HUD's income limit portal at hud.gov to check out other counties throughout California and the rest of the country.

This story was originally published July 2, 2018 at 6:30 PM.