Affordable Housing: The Data
Good news and bad
What Determines Affordable Housing?
What determines affordability?
View our 2025 Community Housing Outlook Presentation below.
Area Median Income (AMI)
- Set by US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Varies by family size; differs by county
Napa County AMI for 2025 is $146,700 for a four-person household
Federal funds usually support projects that are housing people at a maximum of 80% of AMI
A significant percent of local households are cost burdened
HUD calculates Housing Cost Burden as a household paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs
- Includes rent and utilities for renters
- Includes mortgage, tax, insurance and utilities for homeowners
- 38% of householders in St. Helena are experiencing housing cost burden
- 16.1% of households spend the majority of their earnings on housing