USDA eligibility in Arizona: the income limits and the property map
Two gates decide USDA eligibility: your household income and the home's location. In Arizona the income gate is the easy one, since the state's incomes sit well under the cap. The location gate is where buyers get tripped up, because the Phoenix and Tucson metros are off the map and the eligible line runs closer to them than most people guess.
USDA income limits in Arizona: how the household count works
USDA caps eligibility at 115% of the area median income for the county where you buy. For most of Arizona that lands at $122,800 for a household of one to four people and $162,100 for five to eight, effective July 13, 2026. The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro runs higher, at $129,250 and $170,650. That gap creates a useful quirk. The metro spans both Maricopa and Pinal counties, and while Maricopa's built-up core is off the USDA map, the eligible Pinal towns like Casa Grande, Florence, and Arizona City sit inside the same metro. They qualify under the higher $129,250 figure, not the state floor.
| Arizona area | Household of 1-4 | Household of 5-8 |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro (incl. eligible Pinal towns) | $129,250 | $170,650 |
| Most other Arizona counties | $122,800 | $162,100 |
Who gets counted is the part people miss. USDA looks at the income of every adult who will live in the home, not just the borrowers on the loan. An adult child with a job, or a partner you are not putting on the mortgage, still counts toward the household total. USDA also allows deductions, for dependents and childcare among them, that can pull an over-the-line household back under. In Arizona the cap is rarely the obstacle anyway. The state's median household income is about $79,964 (Census, 2024), well under either limit, so the address usually decides the outcome, not the paycheck. Look up your county's exact figure on the USDA income eligibility tool.
USDA property eligibility in Arizona: which areas are on the map
The home has to sit inside the USDA-eligible map. Eligible areas are those USDA considers rural in character, generally under 20,000 in population, with some grandfathered areas holding eligibility up to 35,000 through the 2030 census. Despite the "rural" label, roughly 97% of U.S. land area qualifies.
In Arizona the twist is geographic. Most of the state's land is eligible, but the small ineligible slice is where most people live. The whole Phoenix metro is out: Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise. So is the Tucson urban core. Outside those two metros the eligible belt is wide. Most of Pinal County qualifies, along with Yavapai, Cochise, Mohave, Navajo, Apache, and Coconino counties. Home values across that belt run under the state median of about $394,500, which is where $0 down does the most work: Cochise County near $232,000, Navajo near $190,000, Mohave near $311,000.
These are the reliably eligible towns near the metros, with verified median household income and median home value (Census, 2024):
| Arizona town | Where | Median household income | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | Pinal belt, south of Phoenix | $79,644 | $346,300 |
| Arizona City | Pinal belt, south of Phoenix | $66,420 | $244,100 |
| Green Valley | ~25 mi south of Tucson | $62,063 | $293,500 |
| Benson | ~45 mi southeast of Tucson | $49,346 | $148,900 |
| Wickenburg | Northwest of Phoenix | $67,600 | $470,300 |
| Payson | Rim Country | $67,710 | $382,400 |
| Cottonwood | Verde Valley | $48,448 | $324,100 |
Casa Grande, in the Pinal belt between Phoenix and Tucson, is also largely eligible and qualifies under the higher Phoenix-metro income limit. Do not trust a ZIP code for any of this. A single ZIP can fall partly inside and partly outside the boundary, so two houses on the same street can get different answers. And the Arizona exurbs everyone names, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, the city of Maricopa, Coolidge, and the Buckeye fringe, are either off the map now or flipping as they fill in. Enter the full property address into the USDA property eligibility map, or use our checker below and we will read the map for you.
We geocode the address and read the live USDA eligibility map. Informational only. USDA makes the final determination on a complete application.
The third gate: occupancy and property type
USDA is for owner-occupied primary residences only. You cannot use it for a rental, a vacation home, or an income-producing property, and it is meant for buyers who do not already own a suitable home nearby. Eligible property types include existing homes, new construction, condos and PUDs, and new manufactured homes titled as real property. An existing manufactured home generally does not qualify unless it already carries a USDA loan.
Arizona down-payment assistance: Home Plus, not Home in Five
USDA already asks for nothing down, but closing costs still show up at the table. Arizona's statewide Home Plus program, run through the state housing authority, layers up to 4% of the loan amount in down-payment and closing-cost help, forgiven after 60 months, and it pairs with a USDA loan in any eligible county. Home Plus caps income near $155,386, higher than USDA's line, so when you stack the two, USDA's limit is the one that binds. One correction saves buyers a wasted call: Home in Five is a Maricopa County program, and because Maricopa's core is off the USDA map, Home in Five and USDA almost never overlap. For a USDA buyer in the Pinal belt or rural Arizona, Home Plus is the program to reach for. Confirm current terms on the Home Plus site.
Outdated Arizona USDA numbers still floating around
A lot of USDA content online is stale, and in Arizona it steers buyers wrong twice over. If a page shows the 1-4-person income limit as $119,850, it predates the July 13, 2026 increase to $122,800 (Procedure Notice 657), and it never mentions that the eligible Pinal towns in the Phoenix metro actually get $129,250. If a page tells you the guarantee fee is 2.75% or 3.5%, that is the statutory ceiling, not the 1.0% upfront and 0.35% annual actually charged since 2016. And any page that lists Queen Creek or the city of Maricopa as flatly "USDA-eligible" is working from an old map. Both are flipping as they build out, which is why we check the exact address every time.
USDA eligibility questions
What is the 2026 USDA income limit in Arizona?
For most Arizona 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. The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro runs higher at $129,250 and $170,650, and the eligible Pinal County towns fall inside that metro, so they use the higher figure. Arizona's median household income of about $79,964 sits well below all of these, so income rarely blocks an Arizona buyer.
Can I get a USDA loan in Phoenix or Tucson?
Generally no. The Phoenix metro, including Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale, and the surrounding suburbs, and the Tucson urban core sit outside the USDA-eligible map. The eligible options are in the surrounding belt: Pinal County towns like Casa Grande, Florence, and Arizona City near Phoenix, and Green Valley and Benson near Tucson. Confirm any exact address on the USDA map, since the line runs close to both metros.
Which Arizona towns are USDA-eligible?
Reliably eligible Arizona towns include Florence, Arizona City, and Casa Grande in the Pinal belt south of Phoenix; Green Valley and Benson south and southeast of Tucson; and Wickenburg, Payson, and Cottonwood in rural and mountain Arizona. The fast-growing exurbs, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, and the city of Maricopa, are flipping ineligible as they fill in, so check the exact address rather than assuming a whole town qualifies.
Can I use Home Plus down-payment assistance with a USDA loan in Arizona?
Yes. Arizona's statewide Home Plus program pairs with a USDA loan in any eligible county and adds up to 4% of the loan amount in assistance, forgiven after 60 months. When you stack them, USDA's income limit is the binding cap. Home in Five is a separate Maricopa County program, and because Maricopa's core is off the USDA map, it rarely overlaps a USDA loan; Home Plus is the one to use.