Iowa Section 538 income limits for FY2026

A Section 538 tenant can earn up to 115% of area median income at move-in. In Iowa that limit for a family of four runs from $82,700 in Appanoose County, IA to $148,950 in Iowa City, IA. Limits took effect July 13, 2026.

Source: USDA Rural Development, FY2026 MFH income limits, "RD 538 GUAR MOD INC" row, effective July 13, 2026. Persons in the household.
Area	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Ames, IA metro area	99,750	114,000	128,250	142,500	153,900	165,300	176,700	188,100
Boone County, IA part of the Ames, IA metro area	90,400	103,300	116,250	129,150	139,500	149,800	160,150	170,500
Benton County, IA part of the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area	91,050	104,050	117,050	130,050	140,450	150,850	161,250	171,650
Cedar Rapids, IA metro area	84,750	96,900	109,000	121,100	130,800	140,500	150,150	159,850
Jones County, IA part of the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area	81,550	93,200	104,850	116,500	125,800	135,150	144,450	153,800
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metro area	78,700	89,950	101,200	112,450	121,450	130,400	139,400	148,400
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area	93,700	107,100	120,450	133,850	144,550	155,250	165,950	176,700
Jasper County, IA metro area	77,200	88,250	99,250	110,300	119,100	127,950	136,750	145,600
Dubuque, IA metro area	85,600	97,800	110,050	122,250	132,050	141,800	151,600	161,350
Iowa City, IA metro area	104,250	119,150	134,050	148,950	160,850	172,800	184,700	196,600
Washington County, IA part of the Iowa City, IA metro area	76,300	87,200	98,100	109,000	117,700	126,450	135,150	143,900
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA part of the Omaha, NE-IA metro area	91,750	104,900	118,000	131,100	141,600	152,100	162,550	173,050
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD metro area	78,800	90,100	101,350	112,600	121,600	130,600	139,600	148,650
Bremer County, IA part of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area	87,200	99,650	112,100	124,550	134,500	144,500	154,450	164,400
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area	73,250	83,700	94,200	104,650	113,000	121,400	129,750	138,150
Adair County, IA	82,850	94,700	106,500	118,350	127,800	137,300	146,750	156,200
Adams County, IA	79,950	91,350	102,800	114,200	123,350	132,450	141,600	150,750
Allamakee County, IA	72,650	83,000	93,400	103,750	112,050	120,350	128,650	136,950
Appanoose County, IA	57,900	66,150	74,450	82,700	89,300	95,950	102,550	109,150
Audubon County, IA	72,700	83,100	93,450	103,850	112,150	120,450	128,750	137,100
Buchanan County, IA	80,000	91,450	102,850	114,300	123,450	132,600	141,750	150,900
Buena Vista County, IA	79,200	90,500	101,850	113,150	122,200	131,250	140,300	149,350
Butler County, IA	78,000	89,150	100,300	111,450	120,350	129,300	138,200	147,100
Calhoun County, IA	70,300	80,300	90,350	100,400	108,450	116,450	124,500	132,550
Carroll County, IA	83,650	95,600	107,550	119,500	129,050	138,600	148,200	157,750
Cass County, IA	75,350	86,100	96,900	107,650	116,250	124,850	133,500	142,100
Cedar County, IA	84,050	96,050	108,050	120,050	129,650	139,250	148,850	158,450
Cerro Gordo County, IA	78,400	89,600	100,800	112,000	120,950	129,900	138,900	147,850
Cherokee County, IA	84,200	96,250	108,250	120,300	129,900	139,550	149,150	158,800
Chickasaw County, IA	78,650	89,900	101,100	112,350	121,350	130,350	139,300	148,300
Clarke County, IA	71,400	81,600	91,800	102,000	110,150	118,300	126,500	134,650
Clay County, IA	77,000	87,950	98,950	109,950	118,700	127,550	136,350	145,150
Clayton County, IA	70,050	80,050	90,050	100,050	108,050	116,050	124,050	132,050
Clinton County, IA	77,200	88,250	99,250	110,300	119,100	127,950	136,750	145,600
Crawford County, IA	71,800	82,100	92,350	102,600	110,800	119,000	127,200	135,450
Davis County, IA	80,250	91,700	103,200	114,650	123,800	133,000	142,150	151,350
Decatur County, IA	63,900	73,050	82,150	91,300	98,600	105,900	113,200	120,500
Delaware County, IA	78,000	89,150	100,300	111,450	120,350	129,300	138,200	147,100
Des Moines County, IA	68,450	78,200	88,000	97,750	105,550	113,400	121,200	129,050
Dickinson County, IA	88,600	101,300	113,950	126,600	136,750	146,850	157,000	167,100
Emmet County, IA	70,550	80,600	90,700	100,750	108,800	116,850	124,950	133,000
Fayette County, IA	69,050	78,900	88,800	98,650	106,550	114,450	122,350	130,200
Floyd County, IA	78,950	90,250	101,500	112,800	121,800	130,850	139,850	148,900
Franklin County, IA	70,350	80,400	90,450	100,500	108,550	116,600	124,600	132,650
Fremont County, IA	77,450	88,500	99,600	110,650	119,500	128,350	137,200	146,050
Greene County, IA	73,450	83,900	94,400	104,900	113,300	121,700	130,100	138,450
Hamilton County, IA	77,900	89,050	100,150	111,300	120,200	129,100	138,000	146,900
Hancock County, IA	73,450	83,900	94,400	104,900	113,300	121,700	130,100	138,450
Hardin County, IA	72,850	83,300	93,700	104,100	112,450	120,750	129,100	137,400
Henry County, IA	69,700	79,700	89,650	99,600	107,550	115,550	123,500	131,450
Howard County, IA	70,600	80,700	90,750	100,850	108,900	117,000	125,050	133,100
Humboldt County, IA	73,550	84,100	94,600	105,100	113,500	121,900	130,300	138,750
Ida County, IA	72,500	82,900	93,250	103,600	111,900	120,200	128,450	136,750
Iowa County, IA	81,850	93,550	105,250	116,950	126,300	135,650	145,000	154,350
Jackson County, IA	76,550	87,500	98,400	109,350	118,100	126,850	135,600	144,350
Jefferson County, IA	70,100	80,100	90,100	100,150	108,150	116,200	124,150	132,250
Keokuk County, IA	68,100	77,850	87,550	97,300	105,100	112,850	120,650	128,450
Kossuth County, IA	77,550	88,600	99,700	110,750	119,600	128,450	137,350	146,200
Lee County, IA	68,200	77,900	87,650	97,400	105,200	113,000	120,800	128,550
Louisa County, IA	78,350	89,500	100,700	111,900	120,850	129,800	138,750	147,700
Lucas County, IA	70,600	80,700	90,750	100,850	108,900	117,000	125,050	133,100
Lyon County, IA	77,750	88,900	100,000	111,100	120,000	128,900	137,750	146,650
Mahaska County, IA	75,100	85,850	96,550	107,300	115,900	124,450	133,050	141,650
Marion County, IA	84,300	96,300	108,350	120,400	130,050	139,650	149,300	158,950
Marshall County, IA	76,300	87,200	98,100	109,000	117,700	126,450	135,150	143,900
Mitchell County, IA	77,900	89,050	100,150	111,300	120,200	129,100	138,000	146,900
Monona County, IA	71,900	82,150	92,450	102,700	110,900	119,150	127,350	135,550
Monroe County, IA	76,800	87,750	98,750	109,700	118,500	127,250	136,050	144,800
Montgomery County, IA	69,850	79,850	89,800	99,800	107,800	115,750	123,750	131,750
Muscatine County, IA	76,550	87,450	98,450	109,350	118,100	126,850	135,650	144,400
O'Brien County, IA	81,550	93,200	104,850	116,500	125,800	135,150	144,450	153,800
Osceola County, IA	73,250	83,700	94,200	104,650	113,000	121,400	129,750	138,150
Page County, IA	67,850	77,550	87,250	96,950	104,700	112,450	120,200	127,950
Palo Alto County, IA	83,800	95,750	107,750	119,700	129,300	138,850	148,450	158,000
Plymouth County, IA	83,150	95,050	106,900	118,800	128,300	137,800	147,300	156,800
Pocahontas County, IA	70,650	80,750	90,850	100,950	109,050	117,100	125,200	133,250
Poweshiek County, IA	79,650	91,000	102,400	113,750	122,850	131,950	141,050	150,150
Ringgold County, IA	76,900	87,900	98,850	109,850	118,650	127,450	136,200	145,000
Sac County, IA	78,650	89,900	101,100	112,350	121,350	130,350	139,300	148,300
Shelby County, IA	79,950	91,350	102,800	114,200	123,350	132,450	141,600	150,750
Sioux County, IA	88,400	101,000	113,650	126,250	136,350	146,450	156,550	166,650
Tama County, IA	71,800	82,100	92,350	102,600	110,800	119,000	127,200	135,450
Taylor County, IA	69,000	78,850	88,700	98,550	106,450	114,300	122,200	130,100
Union County, IA	69,550	79,500	89,400	99,350	107,300	115,250	123,200	131,150
Van Buren County, IA	66,450	75,900	85,400	94,900	102,500	110,100	117,700	125,250
Wapello County, IA	66,800	76,350	85,900	95,450	103,100	110,700	118,350	126,000
Wayne County, IA	69,050	78,900	88,800	98,650	106,550	114,450	122,350	130,200
Webster County, IA	79,200	90,500	101,850	113,150	122,200	131,250	140,300	149,350
Winnebago County, IA	75,350	86,100	96,900	107,650	116,250	124,850	133,500	142,100
Winneshiek County, IA	85,400	97,600	109,800	122,000	131,750	141,500	151,300	161,050
Worth County, IA	81,950	93,650	105,400	117,050	126,450	135,800	145,200	154,550
Wright County, IA	68,500	78,300	88,050	97,850	105,700	113,500	121,350	129,150

From income limit to rent cap

Two rent rules apply under 7 CFR 3565.203. Each unit's rent, counting tenant-paid utilities, can't exceed 30% of 115% of area median income adjusted for family size, which is 30% of the figure in the table for the household size you assume, divided by 12. And across the whole project, the average rent can't exceed 30% of 100% of area median income each year.

Worked example for Ames, IA: the four-person limit is $142,500, so the per-unit cap for a unit sized for four people is $3,562 a month including utilities. The project-average cap uses 100% of median instead of 115%, roughly $3,097 a month at the four-person size. Which household size applies to each bedroom count is set in USDA's program handbook; confirm it with your lender.

Income is tested only at move-in. A tenant whose income later rises above the limit can stay (7 CFR 3565.202(a)). Want to see what those rents support in debt? Run them through the 538 loan sizer.

All 92 Iowa areas and every other state in one file: 538 income limits download.

Iowa Section 538 income limits for FY2026

From income limit to rent cap

Get the FY2027 Iowa limits when USDA posts them