Missouri Section 538 income limits for FY2026

A Section 538 tenant can earn up to 115% of area median income at move-in. In Missouri that limit for a family of four runs from $66,350 in Pemiscot County, MO to $133,800 in Columbia, MO. 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
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area	74,650	85,300	96,000	106,650	115,150	123,700	132,250	140,750
Columbia, MO metro area	93,650	107,000	120,450	133,800	144,500	155,200	165,900	176,650
Cooper County, MO part of the Columbia, MO metro area	75,100	85,850	96,550	107,300	115,900	124,450	133,050	141,650
Howard County, MO part of the Columbia, MO metro area	68,500	78,300	88,050	97,850	105,700	113,500	121,350	129,150
Callaway County, MO part of the Jefferson City, MO metro area	76,000	86,850	97,700	108,550	117,250	125,900	134,600	143,300
Jefferson City, MO metro area	89,100	101,900	114,600	127,350	137,550	147,700	157,900	168,100
Moniteau County, MO part of the Jefferson City, MO metro area	74,500	85,100	95,750	106,400	114,900	123,400	131,950	140,450
Joplin, MO part of the Joplin, MO-KS metro area	64,600	73,800	83,050	92,250	99,650	107,000	114,400	121,750
Bates County, MO part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area	67,700	77,350	87,050	96,700	104,450	112,150	119,900	127,650
Kansas City, MO-KS metro area	91,300	104,300	117,350	130,400	140,850	151,250	161,700	172,150
Dallas County, MO part of the Springfield, MO metro area	56,750	64,900	73,000	81,100	87,600	94,100	100,550	107,050
Polk County, MO part of the Springfield, MO metro area	64,650	73,900	83,100	92,350	99,750	107,150	114,500	121,900
Springfield, MO metro area	73,550	84,100	94,600	105,100	113,500	121,900	130,300	138,750
St. Joseph, MO-KS metro area	73,850	84,350	94,900	105,450	113,900	122,350	130,750	139,250
St. Louis, MO-IL metro area	91,400	104,450	117,500	130,550	141,000	151,450	161,900	172,350
Adair County, MO	68,350	78,100	87,900	97,650	105,450	113,250	121,100	128,900
Atchison County, MO	60,000	68,550	77,150	85,700	92,550	99,400	106,250	113,100
Audrain County, MO	64,450	73,700	82,900	92,100	99,450	106,850	114,200	121,550
Barry County, MO	60,400	69,000	77,650	86,250	93,150	100,050	106,950	113,850
Barton County, MO	56,950	65,100	73,200	81,350	87,850	94,350	100,900	107,400
Benton County, MO	58,300	66,600	74,950	83,250	89,900	96,550	103,250	109,900
Butler County, MO	56,350	64,400	72,450	80,500	86,950	93,400	99,800	106,250
Camden County, MO	70,350	80,400	90,450	100,500	108,550	116,600	124,600	132,650
Carroll County, MO	66,450	75,900	85,400	94,900	102,500	110,100	117,700	125,250
Carter County, MO	69,000	78,850	88,700	98,550	106,450	114,300	122,200	130,100
Cedar County, MO	59,250	67,750	76,200	84,700	91,450	98,250	104,950	111,750
Chariton County, MO	70,350	80,400	90,450	100,500	108,550	116,600	124,600	132,650
Clark County, MO	61,900	70,750	79,600	88,450	95,550	102,600	109,700	116,750
Crawford County, MO	61,100	69,850	78,550	87,300	94,300	101,300	108,300	115,200
Dade County, MO	60,400	69,000	77,650	86,250	93,150	100,050	106,950	113,850
Daviess County, MO	65,400	74,700	84,050	93,400	100,850	108,350	115,800	123,300
Dent County, MO	57,900	66,150	74,450	82,700	89,300	95,950	102,550	109,150
Douglas County, MO	55,300	63,200	71,100	79,000	85,300	91,650	97,950	104,300
Dunklin County, MO	55,300	63,200	71,100	79,000	85,300	91,650	97,950	104,300
Gasconade County, MO	66,350	75,800	85,300	94,750	102,350	109,900	117,500	125,050
Gentry County, MO	65,050	74,300	83,600	92,900	100,350	107,750	115,200	122,650
Grundy County, MO	62,300	71,200	80,100	89,000	96,100	103,250	110,350	117,500
Harrison County, MO	58,400	66,700	75,050	83,400	90,050	96,750	103,400	110,100
Henry County, MO	59,900	68,450	77,000	85,550	92,400	99,250	106,100	112,950
Hickory County, MO	47,450	54,200	61,000	67,750	73,150	78,600	84,000	89,450
Holt County, MO	66,350	75,800	85,300	94,750	102,350	109,900	117,500	125,050
Howell County, MO	51,600	58,950	66,350	73,700	79,600	85,500	91,400	97,300
Iron County, MO	63,550	72,600	81,700	90,750	98,000	105,250	112,550	119,800
Johnson County, MO	73,800	84,350	94,900	105,450	113,900	122,300	130,750	139,200
Knox County, MO	65,150	74,450	83,750	93,050	100,500	107,950	115,400	122,850
Laclede County, MO	54,800	62,650	70,450	78,300	84,550	90,850	97,100	103,350
Lawrence County, MO	66,900	76,450	86,000	95,550	103,200	110,850	118,500	126,150
Lewis County, MO	68,750	78,500	88,350	98,150	106,050	113,950	121,750	129,600
Linn County, MO	68,050	77,750	87,500	97,200	105,000	112,750	120,550	128,300
Livingston County, MO	68,050	77,750	87,500	97,200	105,000	112,750	120,550	128,300
Macon County, MO	65,850	75,250	84,650	94,050	101,550	109,100	116,600	124,150
Madison County, MO	62,500	71,400	80,350	89,250	96,400	103,550	110,650	117,800
Maries County, MO	69,000	78,850	88,700	98,550	106,450	114,300	122,200	130,100
Marion County, MO	67,300	76,900	86,550	96,150	103,850	111,550	119,250	126,900
McDonald County, MO	49,650	56,750	63,850	70,950	76,650	82,300	88,000	93,650
Mercer County, MO	68,100	77,850	87,550	97,300	105,100	112,850	120,650	128,450
Miller County, MO	66,450	76,000	85,500	95,000	102,600	110,200	117,850	125,350
Mississippi County, MO	50,500	57,750	65,000	72,250	77,950	83,750	89,550	95,350
Monroe County, MO	68,200	77,900	87,650	97,400	105,200	113,000	120,800	128,550
Montgomery County, MO	64,450	73,700	82,900	92,100	99,450	106,850	114,200	121,550
Morgan County, MO	60,550	69,200	77,850	86,500	93,400	100,350	107,250	114,200
New Madrid County, MO	57,000	65,100	73,250	81,400	87,900	94,400	100,950	107,450
Nodaway County, MO	71,400	81,600	91,800	102,000	110,150	118,300	126,500	134,650
Oregon County, MO	48,550	55,500	62,400	69,350	74,900	80,450	86,000	91,550
Ozark County, MO	50,350	57,500	64,700	71,900	77,700	83,450	89,250	94,900
Pemiscot County, MO	46,450	53,100	59,700	66,350	71,650	76,950	82,250	87,600
Perry County, MO	71,100	81,250	91,400	101,550	109,650	117,800	125,900	134,050
Pettis County, MO	63,400	72,500	81,550	90,600	97,850	105,100	112,350	119,600
Phelps County, MO	64,100	73,250	82,400	91,550	98,850	106,200	113,500	120,850
Pike County, MO	69,700	79,600	89,600	99,550	107,550	115,500	123,450	131,450
Pulaski County, MO	71,050	81,150	91,300	101,450	109,600	117,650	125,800	133,950
Putnam County, MO	70,750	80,900	91,000	101,100	109,200	117,300	125,400	133,500
Ralls County, MO	72,650	83,000	93,400	103,750	112,050	120,350	128,650	136,950
Randolph County, MO	63,350	72,400	81,450	90,500	97,750	105,000	112,200	119,450
Reynolds County, MO	50,400	57,600	64,800	72,000	77,750	83,500	89,300	95,050
Ripley County, MO	54,000	61,700	69,450	77,150	83,300	89,500	95,650	101,850
Saline County, MO	70,200	80,250	90,250	100,300	108,300	116,350	124,350	132,400
Schuyler County, MO	62,000	70,950	79,800	88,650	95,750	102,850	109,900	117,000
Scotland County, MO	68,500	78,300	88,050	97,850	105,700	113,500	121,350	129,150
Scott County, MO	64,800	74,100	83,350	92,600	100,000	107,400	114,800	122,250
Shannon County, MO	57,950	66,250	74,500	82,800	89,400	96,050	102,650	109,300
Shelby County, MO	57,350	65,500	73,700	81,900	88,450	95,000	101,550	108,100
St. Clair County, MO	58,700	67,100	75,450	83,850	90,550	97,250	103,950	110,700
St. Francois County, MO	63,350	72,400	81,450	90,500	97,750	105,000	112,200	119,450
Ste. Genevieve County, MO	76,650	87,600	98,550	109,500	118,250	127,000	135,800	144,550
Stoddard County, MO	61,750	70,550	79,400	88,200	95,250	102,300	109,350	116,400
Stone County, MO	65,450	74,800	84,150	93,500	101,000	108,450	115,950	123,400
Sullivan County, MO	61,800	70,650	79,450	88,300	95,350	102,450	109,500	116,550
Taney County, MO	62,400	71,300	80,250	89,150	96,300	103,400	110,550	117,700
Texas County, MO	54,000	61,700	69,450	77,150	83,300	89,500	95,650	101,850
Vernon County, MO	62,000	70,850	79,700	88,550	95,650	102,700	109,800	116,900
Washington County, MO	61,850	70,700	79,550	88,350	95,450	102,550	109,600	116,700
Wayne County, MO	49,600	56,700	63,750	70,850	76,500	82,200	87,850	93,500
Worth County, MO	62,800	71,750	80,750	89,700	96,900	104,050	111,250	118,400
Wright County, MO	51,500	58,900	66,250	73,600	79,500	85,400	91,250	97,150

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 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL: the four-person limit is $106,650, so the per-unit cap for a unit sized for four people is $2,666 a month including utilities. The project-average cap uses 100% of median instead of 115%, roughly $2,318 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 95 Missouri areas and every other state in one file: 538 income limits download.

Missouri Section 538 income limits for FY2026

From income limit to rent cap

Get the FY2027 Missouri limits when USDA posts them