USDA eligibility in Texas: the income limits and the property map
Two gates decide USDA eligibility in Texas: your household income and the home's location. Each is measured against current USDA figures, and each trips up buyers who lean on stale numbers or a rough ZIP-code guess. Here is exactly how the two work, from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley.
USDA income limits: which Texas metros change the answer
USDA caps eligibility at 115% of the area median income for the county where you buy. Across most of Texas the floor is $122,800 for a household of one to four people and $162,100 for five to eight, effective July 13, 2026. A handful of Texas metros carry higher ceilings because their area median incomes sit above that floor, so your county's exact figure is the one that counts.
Austin is the one worth flagging. The Austin-Round Rock area and Kendall County near San Antonio hold the state's highest limit at $153,550 for a 1-4-person household. Brazoria County on the Houston side reaches $144,900, the Dallas metro $139,300, and Fort Worth-Arlington $126,850. Everywhere else in Texas stays at the $122,800 floor. The irony is that Austin's high limit barely helps, because almost none of the Austin metro is on the USDA map, so it only matters in the thin eligible band out in Bastrop and Caldwell counties.
| Texas area | Household of 1-4 | Household of 5-8 |
|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock metro and Kendall County | $153,550 | $202,700 |
| Brazoria County (Houston area) | $144,900 | $191,300 |
| Dallas metro | $139,300 | $183,900 |
| Fort Worth-Arlington metro | $126,850 | $167,450 |
| Most other Texas counties | $122,800 | $162,100 |
USDA Guaranteed income limits, effective July 13, 2026 (Procedure Notice 657). Confirm your county on the USDA income eligibility tool.
What people miss is who gets counted. USDA tallies the income of every adult who will live in the home, not just the borrowers on the loan, so a working adult child in a San Antonio-area household or a partner you leave off the mortgage still counts toward the total. USDA also allows deductions, for dependents and childcare among others, that can pull an over-the-line Texas household back under $122,800. A fast self-check misfires in both directions, so if your income lands near your county's line it pays to have someone run the deductions before you assume you are out.
Which Texas areas are USDA-eligible?
The pattern repeats around every Texas metro: the urban core is off the map, and the exurb counties 30 to 55 miles out qualify. Roughly 95% of Texas land area is eligible. What gets carved out is the built-up center of Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso. Past the last ring of suburbs, the small towns and farm communities are largely inside the map, even the master-planned developments that do not feel rural.
Near Houston that means Waller County (Waller, Hempstead) plus parts of Austin, Colorado, and Wharton counties. Near Dallas-Fort Worth, Kaufman County along with Farmersville, Sanger, and Decatur. Near Austin, Bastrop County (Elgin), Caldwell County (Lockhart), and Smithville. Near San Antonio, Poteet, Castroville, and La Vernia. El Paso's eligible fringe is the affordability standout, with a county median home value around $180,400 against the state's $283,800.
Every town in the table below is confirmed USDA-eligible, with 2024 Census population and home-value figures. Each runs at or below the Texas median of $283,800, and USDA finances the whole price:
| Town | County | Population | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waller | Waller | 3,108 | $156,900 |
| Hempstead | Waller | 6,137 | $160,700 |
| Poteet | Atascosa | 2,910 | $119,200 |
| Kaufman | Kaufman | 8,538 | $221,800 |
| Farmersville | Collin | 4,018 | $289,400 |
| Castroville | Medina | 3,092 | $300,000 |
| La Vernia | Wilson | 1,095 | $347,400 |
Watch the fast-growing corridors. Eligibility is drawn at the parcel, not the town, and Texas has some of the fastest map churn in the country. North of Dallas, Anna has grown to about 24,330 people and has largely flipped off the map, with Aubrey and Melissa close behind. Near Austin, Taylor is booming on its new Samsung plant and is flipping, and Liberty Hill is one of the fastest-growing towns in the state. An address that qualified last year may not now, so check the exact one.
A ZIP code will not settle it. Around Kaufman or Elgin a single ZIP can fall partly inside and partly outside the boundary, so two houses on the same street can get opposite answers. Drop the full property address into the USDA property eligibility map, or use our checker below and we will read the map for the exact parcel.
We geocode the address and read the live USDA map for Texas. This is informational; USDA makes the final call on a complete application.
The third gate: occupancy and property type
USDA works only for an owner-occupied primary residence, so a Hill Country weekend cabin or a Galveston rental is out, and it is meant for buyers who do not already own a suitable Texas home nearby. What does qualify is broad: an existing house in Lockhart, new construction in a Kaufman County subdivision, a condo or PUD, and a new manufactured home titled as real property, which is common across rural Texas. An existing manufactured home usually does not qualify unless it already carries a USDA loan.
Stacking Texas down-payment help on a USDA loan
Texas runs two statewide assistance programs that pair with a USDA loan, both through the state's housing agencies. TSAHC offers help through its Homes for Texas Heroes and Home Sweet Texas programs as a grant or a forgivable second lien, with a 620 minimum credit score. TDHCA's My First Texas Home offers similar assistance. Since USDA already finances the whole purchase, that help goes toward closing costs and cash to close rather than a down payment.
Two things to know. The Homes for Texas Heroes track is aimed at public-service jobs, teachers, first responders, veterans, and similar, while Home Sweet Texas is open more broadly by income. And when you combine assistance with USDA, the more restrictive income limit controls, which is usually USDA's 115% county cap. Confirm current amounts and whether a specific product pairs with USDA through a participating TSAHC or TDHCA lender.
Outdated Texas numbers still floating around
A lot of USDA content online is stale, and it costs Texas buyers real money. A Texas page still quoting $119,850 as the 1-4-person limit is stuck before the July 13, 2026 bump to $122,800 under Procedure Notice 657, and $112,450 is older yet. A quote of 2.75% or 3.5% for the guarantee fee is the statutory ceiling, not the 1.0% upfront and 0.35% annual that Texas borrowers have actually paid since 2016. If it lists Anna, Aubrey, or Taylor as USDA-eligible, check again, because those fast-growing towns have been flipping off the map as they urbanize. A claim that USDA caps the loan amount confuses the Guaranteed program with the separate Section 502 Direct loan, which does carry county limits. We build every Texas file on the current figures.
Texas USDA eligibility questions
What is the 2026 USDA income limit in Texas?
For most Texas counties, the 2026 USDA income limit is $122,800 for a household of one to four people and $162,100 for five to eight, effective July 13, 2026. Several metros run higher: about $153,550 near Austin and in Kendall County, $144,900 in Brazoria County, $139,300 in the Dallas metro, and $126,850 in Fort Worth-Arlington. Check your county's exact figure on USDA's income tool.
Can I use a USDA loan near Houston, Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio?
Not in the urban cores, but yes in the eligible exurb counties 30 to 55 miles out. Near Houston that means Waller County; near Dallas-Fort Worth, Kaufman County and towns like Farmersville; near Austin, Bastrop and Caldwell counties; near San Antonio, Atascosa, Medina, and Wilson. The metro centers themselves are off the USDA map, so confirm the exact address.
Does USDA count my whole Texas household's income or just mine?
USDA counts the income of every adult who will live in the home toward its eligibility limit, not only the people on the Texas loan. A working adult child in the house, or a partner you keep off the mortgage, still counts. The cap is 115% of the county's area median, $122,800 across most of Texas, so the household total is what matters, though deductions for dependents and childcare can bring a family back under.
Can I stack TSAHC or TDHCA help on a USDA loan in Texas?
Yes. TSAHC provides help through its Homes for Texas Heroes and Home Sweet Texas programs as a grant or a forgivable second lien, with a 620 minimum credit score, and TDHCA's My First Texas Home offers assistance too. Because USDA needs no down payment, that help usually can go toward closing costs. When you combine them, the more restrictive income limit, usually USDA's, applies.
How do I check if a Texas address is USDA eligible?
Type the exact property address into the USDA eligibility map at eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov, or use the checker on this page. A ZIP check is unreliable, since one ZIP around Kaufman or Elgin can sit partly inside and partly outside the boundary. This matters in Texas, where the fast-growing corridors north of Dallas and around Austin are flipping ineligible between map updates, so the town name alone will not tell you.