If you’re reading this, you’re probably low-income. In a recent report done by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), a single-person household making $109,700 or less annually is considered low income. $109,700 is far above the national average income of $61,440, so how does that statistic affect USF students who are trying to make a living in the Bay Area?
It’s no secret that living in San Francisco is expensive; in fact, it’s often ranked in the top five most expensive cities in the world. The average cost of living in the city is 11% higher than the rest of California, and 67% higher than the rest of the country.
There are lots of factors that explain why San Francisco is so expensive, such as the high housing market, strong economy and the fact that the city hasn’t been cheap since the gold rush, so how did HCD come to this conclusion? The report is derived from income data and household size, meaning income status changes based on the size of the household.
As previously mentioned, a single-person household making less than $109,700 annually is considered low income while a two-person household making less than $125,350 annually is also considered low income. The same statistic applies to households across Marin and San Mateo counties. According to KRON4 News, Santa Clara County single-person households are considered low income at $111,700, and Santa Cruz County’s low income rests at $111,100, meaning six figures isn’t just considered low income in San Francisco County.
Income limits, both state and federal, are crucial for determining maximum qualifications for different housing assistance programs. HCD makes an annual report of income limits, in accordance with the California Code of Regulations, where income limits are divided into five different categories being extremely low income, very low income, low income, median family income and area median income.
The first category is extremely low income, which for single-person households is considered up to $39,150 annually, far above the national standard of up to $15,650 annually.
Very low income is considered up to $65,350 annually for single-person households. According to the United States Census Bureau, the median income for individuals in San Francisco is $69,260, and according to the U.S. Department of Education, the median income for USF graduates is $89,812. This means that the majority of USF students and San Francisco residents are considered low income, per the HCD’s definition.
Low income doesn’t fit just one definition. Countless factors can change status and categorize residents into qualifications for assistance. Majors themselves can dictate your annual income, and degrees aren’t transferable to a predetermined economic status. Not to mention, the number of people in a household, race, gender, sexual orientation and an unquantifiable amount of categoricals.
Income limits aren’t just crucial to USF students for housing assistance programs, but other government assistance such as healthcare and food stamps. Healthcare is accessible to low income students both state and federally, with assistance programs such as Covered California.
It’s likely that students will work multiple jobs and still not be able to afford groceries, which is where food stamps come in. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a California-based program that supports “low-income households” to fight food insecurity, according to the Department of Social Services.
A lot of factors contribute to the complexity of government programs such as state-specific guidelines, recertifications and documentation requirements. Documentation requirements add another element of complexity to international students at USF who can’t afford the cost of living. The Foghorn will continue to report on how this will affect USF students.
