Utah Housing Income Limits by County
Utah Housing groups its 29 counties into eight brackets rather than listing them one by one, and Salt Lake is not where you would expect it to sit. There is also a second route with a higher limit and no price cap at all.
The short answer
On FirstHome, the limit depends on which county group you are in. It runs from $118,000 for a one or two person household up to $143,000 in Juab and Utah counties, with a matching maximum acquisition cost. The FHA/VA Mortgage and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage routes use a single statewide qualifying income of $165,200 and carry no purchase price limit at all.
The whole table
FirstHome: eight county groups
| Counties | Income, 1–2 | Income, 3+ | Max acquisition cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box Elder, Beaver, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Emery, Millard, Rich, Sevier, Uintah | $118,000 | $135,700 | $566,300 |
| Washington | $118,000 | $135,700 | $635,300 |
| Tooele | $121,300 | $139,400 | $666,600 |
| Salt Lake | $126,100 | $145,000 | $666,600 |
| Grand | $127,500 | $148,800 | $878,300 |
| Davis, Morgan, Summit, Wasatch, Weber | $141,400 | $164,600 | $778,500 |
| Duchesne, Garfield, Iron, Kane, Piute, San Juan, Sanpete, Wayne | $141,600 | $165,200 | $692,200 |
| Juab, Utah | $143,000 | $165,200 | $769,100 |
FHA/VA and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage: statewide, no purchase price limit
| Program | Counties | Qualifying income | Loan limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| FHA/VA Mortgage Single-unit | All Counties | $165,200 | FHA Single-unit loan amount limit |
| FHA/VA Mortgage Two-unit, owner-occupied. Must be appraised as a two-unit property | All Counties | $165,200 PLUS annual qualifying rental income | FHA Two-unit loan amount limit |
| Freddie Mac HFA Advantage Single-unit | All Counties | $165,200 | Freddie Mac’s Baseline Conforming Loan Limit |
Salt Lake is not the highest, which catches people out
The intuition is that the biggest and most expensive county gets the highest allowance. In Utah it does not. Salt Lake county's FirstHome limit is $126,100 for a one or two person household. Its neighbours do better: Davis, Morgan, Summit, Wasatch and Weber are at $141,400, and Juab and Utah counties are at $143,000, the highest in the state. Tooele sits below Salt Lake at $121,300. So a buyer earning $135,000 is over the limit in Salt Lake and comfortably inside it one county north. If you are shopping across the Wasatch Front, that is worth knowing before you narrow your search.
Two routes, and the second one has no price cap
FirstHome is the route with county brackets, an income limit and a maximum acquisition cost. The FHA/VA Mortgage and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage routes work differently: one qualifying income figure of $165,200 for every county, and no purchase price limit at all. The loan size is capped by the FHA single-unit limit or Freddie Mac's baseline conforming limit instead. That matters most to two kinds of buyer. If your income is between the FirstHome bracket and $165,200, FirstHome is closed to you and the other route may not be. And if the house you want is above your county's acquisition cost, the FHA/VA route removes that ceiling entirely.
A two-unit property raises your own ceiling
On an FHA or VA file for a two-unit property that you will live in, Utah Housing sets the qualifying income at $165,200 plus the annual qualifying rental income from the other unit. The property has to be appraised as a two-unit. This is the one place in Utah's rules where buying something larger makes you more eligible rather than less, because the rent counts toward the ceiling rather than against it.
The acquisition cost limit moves independently of income
The two tests do not track each other. Grand county, around Moab, pairs a mid range income limit of $127,500 with the highest acquisition cost in the state at $878,300. Salt Lake and Tooele share the same $666,600 cost limit despite different income limits. The ten county group at the $118,000 income floor sits at $566,300 of acquisition cost, the lowest. Check both numbers, because clearing one does not tell you anything about the other.
Common questions
What is the income limit for Utah Housing FirstHome?
It depends which of eight county groups you are in. It runs from $118,000 for a one or two person household up to $143,000 in Juab and Utah counties. Salt Lake county is $126,100. Utah Housing does not publish an effective date on its limits page; these were read on 2026-10-27.
Why is the Salt Lake county income limit lower than Davis or Utah county?
That is how Utah Housing publishes it. Salt Lake is $126,100 for a one or two person household, while Davis, Morgan, Summit, Wasatch and Weber are $141,400 and Juab and Utah counties are $143,000. A buyer can be over the limit in Salt Lake and inside it in the next county.
Is there a Utah Housing option with no purchase price limit?
Yes. The FHA/VA Mortgage and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage routes use one statewide qualifying income of $165,200 and carry no purchase price limit. The loan size is capped by the FHA single-unit limit or Freddie Mac's baseline conforming limit instead.
Does rental income count against the Utah Housing income limit on a duplex?
On an FHA or VA two-unit owner-occupied file, the limit is $165,200 plus the annual qualifying rental income, so the rent raises your ceiling rather than reducing it. The property must be appraised as a two-unit.
Which Utah county has the highest acquisition cost limit?
Grand county, at $878,300. That is the highest in the state, above Davis, Morgan, Summit, Wasatch and Weber at $778,500 and well above Salt Lake at $666,600.
Want us to check your file against these limits?
Send us your county, household size and price target, and we will tell you which program you fit and what you would still need at closing. No obligation.