In much of the country, a six-figure salary is a benchmark for success. That sixth digit tends to symbolize professional achievement and a degree of financial security.<\/p>\n
But in Orange County, individuals earning up to $104,200 now qualify as \u201clow income.\u201d<\/p>\n
California\u2019s Department of Housing and Community Development released its official state income limits<\/a> for 2026 on May 29. These thresholds determine who is eligible for income-restricted apartments and other housing assistance programs.<\/p>\n Under the new limits, one-person households in Orange County earning $104,200 per year or less qualify for low-income housing. Last year, the cut-off was $94,750.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just feels so crazy to me,\u201d said Megan Junanto, a 23-year-old actuary living in Irvine. She recently received a raise putting her above the low-income threshold. But last year, she would have qualified.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like one of the most well off compared to people in my age group, and I am near low income, and last year I was low income,\u201d Junanto said.<\/p>\n Housing policy experts say the ever-rising goalposts for financial stability make it hard for Orange County to retain teachers, nurses and other middle-income workers, who are needed to make a local economy function.<\/p>\n Despite earning relatively high incomes, some young residents feel they need to give up on the idea of buying a home in Orange County.<\/p>\n Junanto is able to rent an apartment with her boyfriend. But she said homeownership feels out of reach<\/a>. Her immigrant parents bought a house in Garden Grove in the early 2000s on her father\u2019s wages alone, she said. Now, the same home would cost at least $1 million.<\/p>\n \u201cThose jokes about how you should have bought a house as a fetus, that definitely resonates,\u201d Junanto said. \u201cHow hard do we have to work in order to attain that?\u201d<\/p>\n High-income workers still far from achieving homeownership<\/p>\n According to a recent report<\/a> from the California Association of Realtors, only about 16% of Orange County households earn the minimum annual income of $350,400 needed to afford the region\u2019s median home price of $1,442,930.<\/p>\n Advocates for increased housing production blame local elected leaders for failing to address the region\u2019s affordability crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cBy choosing to not allow new housing development, we effectively force people into being poor,\u201d said Elizabeth Hansburg, director of People for Housing OC.<\/p>\n UC Irvine conducted a survey<\/a> in 2024 that found 51% of residents have considered leaving Orange County. They cited the cost of housing cited as their most common concern.<\/p>\n Hansburg said if cities don\u2019t update zoning and permitting rules to let developers build more apartments, townhomes and condos, workers earning around $100,000 per year will choose to look for cheaper housing elsewhere<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey’re the most likely to move out of Orange County, because those are the people whose quality of life will be most improved by lower housing costs,\u201d Hansburg said.<\/p>\n What about workers earning even less?<\/p>\n