"A New York City teacher earning $70,000 applies for an affordable housing unit in Queens and is told she doesn't qualify. Not because she makes too much money, but because she doesn't make enough. The "affordable" one-bedroom requires a minimum income of $90,000, and even the studio required $75,000; just out of reach. Stories like this illustrate a broader paradox in New York's housing policy."
"For 2025, New York's official AMI for a family of two was $129,600, and for a family of three it was $145,800. With an average household size of 2.55, you would then expect the average household income to be $137,700. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) own calculations for the same geographic area, however, this actual number is $103,000."
The High Housing Cost Adjustment (HHCA) raises Area Median Income (AMI) figures in expensive markets, increasing eligibility thresholds for affordable housing. In 2025 New York's official AMI for a two-person household was $129,600 and $145,800 for three people; with an average household size of 2.55 that implies $137,700. HUD's own calculations put the actual median household income at about $103,000 for the same area, implying HHCA inflates AMI roughly 33 percent. The inflation creates minimum-income floors on "affordable" units that exclude many middle-income workers, such as teachers earning $70,000, from eligibility.
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