Income limits · Massachusetts

Income limits and price caps in Massachusetts

27 Massachusetts programs publish an income limit, a price cap, or both. Most write the limit as a share of the county’s area median income.27 Massachusetts programs publish an income limit, a purchase price cap, or both. Most write the limit as a share of the county’s area median income. Here is how to read one.

01
HUD sets the median
Each year, for every county, quoted for a household of four.Each year HUD publishes the area median income for every county, quoted for a household of four.
02
The program picks a share
Up to that share of the median for the county where the home is.A limit written as a share of area median income means up to that share of the median for the county where the home is.
03
The agency publishes the dollars
Adjusted for household size, in the program’s own table. That table is the one that counts.The program adjusts its limit for household size and county, and publishes its own table. That table is the one that counts.

Area median income by county

Find your county’s median

HUD’s four-person figure. Programs adjust it for household size.HUD’s four-person figure for the county where the home is. A program applies its percentage to this number, adjusted for household size by the program.

County	Area median income, 4 people	Programs in county	HUD year	Link
Essex	$164,600	6	FY2026	Essex programs →
Bristol	$94,300	4	FY2026	Bristol programs →
Barnstable	$123,600	2	FY2026	Barnstable programs →
Hampden	$96,700	2	FY2026	Hampden programs →
Suffolk	$164,600	2	FY2026	Suffolk programs →
Berkshire	$109,400	1	FY2026	Berkshire programs →
Hampshire	$124,400	1	FY2026	Hampshire programs →
Middlesex	$164,600	1	FY2026	Middlesex programs →
Dukes	$163,100	0	FY2026	Dukes programs →
Franklin	$109,900	0	FY2026	Franklin programs →
Nantucket	$163,200	0	FY2026	Nantucket programs →
Norfolk	$127,800	0	FY2026	Norfolk programs →
Plymouth	$127,800	0	FY2026	Plymouth programs →
Worcester	$113,900	0	FY2026	Worcester programs →

HUD FY2026 Income Limits, median family income for a four-person household. Program counts: programs whose record names the county, Hey Prescott, verified June–August 2026. Statewide programs apply too.

How programs set their limits

The percentage each program publishesThe percentage each Massachusetts program publishes

Grouped by the limit in each program’s own record.Grouped by the limit written in the program’s own record. A program may also set lower tiers inside its limit; the program page has the details.

Up to 80% AMI

14 programs

All 14 →

Up to 100% AMI

7 programs

All 7 →

Up to 135% AMI

3 programs

Up to 120% AMI

1 program

Enhanced First-Time Homebuyer Program

Up to 150% AMI

1 program

First-Time Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance Program

Other limits

No percentage published · 1
Each sets its limit another way: a dollar figure, the agency’s own words, or a price cap only.
All 1 →
- Next Door Home Ownership Program

Limits as written in each program record, Hey Prescott, verified June–August 2026. Confirm current limits with the administering agency.

Purchase price caps

11 programs also cap the home’s price11 programs also cap the price of the home

The highest price the program accepts, as it publishes it.The cap is the highest purchase price the program accepts, as the program publishes it.

Program	County	Income limit	Price cap
First-Time Homebuyer Downpayment Assistance Loan Program	Essex	80% AMI	$1.0M
First Time Homeowner Downpayment Assistance Program	Essex	80% AMI	$939,000
First-Time Homebuyer Program	Multiple	80% AMI	$858,000
First Time Home Buyers Program (FTHB)	Essex	80% AMI	$821,000
First Time Buyer / Down Payment Assistance Program	Bristol	80% AMI	$775,000
Homebuyer Program	Bristol	80% AMI	$775,000
Realizing the Dream Homeownership Program	Essex	80% AMI	$684,000
MassHousing Down Payment Assistance	—	100% AMI	$653,700
ONE Mortgage Program	—	80% AMI	$653,700
Buyer's Assistance Program (BAP)	Hampden	80% AMI	$606,000
ONE+Boston Home Buyer Program	Suffolk	135% AMI	$585,000

All 11 price caps →

Realizing the Dream Homeownership Program$684,000
MassHousing Down Payment Assistance$653,700
ONE Mortgage Program$653,700
Buyer's Assistance Program (BAP)$606,000
ONE+Boston Home Buyer Program$585,000

Sorted by cap. Caps as published by each agency, Hey Prescott program records, verified June–August 2026.

Not sure where your income lands?

44 HUD-approved counseling agencies in Massachusetts44 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in Massachusetts

A counselor can walk through a program’s own income table with you, for free.A counselor can walk through a program’s own income table with you, for free. Create an account, take the 90-second match, and we’ll show the counselors near you.

Find my counselor

Free account → 90-second match → your counselors

Keep exploring Massachusetts

Massachusetts programs27 programsBack to Massachusetts →All 14 countiesLocal programs and mediansSee counties →17 cities with a programbelchertown, boston, everett and moreSee cities →How income limits workCounted across every stateRead it →

Questions, answered

What are the income limits for down payment assistance in Massachusetts?

27 down payment assistance programs in Massachusetts publish an income limit, a purchase price cap, or both. 26 express the limit as a share of the area median income for the county where the home is, and 24 publish a flat dollar figure instead.

Why does the same program have different income limits in different counties?

Because most limits are set as a share of area median income, which HUD publishes per county and revises annually. A program with one published share therefore admits a different dollar figure in each county, and the program adjusts that figure for household size in its own table.

Is a published limit the same as being approved?

No. An income limit is one eligibility rule among several — credit requirements, purchase price caps, occupancy rules and homebuyer education all apply separately, and the first-mortgage lender underwrites on its own terms. Always confirm current figures with the administering agency.

Is Hey Prescott a lender?

No. Hey Prescott is an educational directory of down payment assistance programs. We list programs and link to official sources; we do not make loans or give individualized lending advice.

Sources

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Income Limits: median family income, four-person household, by county. HUD’s own household-size tables →
Program limits and price caps: each administering agency, as recorded by Hey Prescott, verified June–August 2026.
HUD-approved housing counseling agencies: HUD agency list.