This dataset and map service provides information on the U.S. Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) low to moderate income areas. The term Low to Moderate Income, often referred to as low-mod, has a specific programmatic context within the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Over a 1, 2, or 3-year period, as selected by the grantee, not less than 70 percent of CDBG funds must be used for activities that benefit low- and moderate-income persons. HUD uses special tabulations of Census data to determine areas where at least 51% of households have incomes at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI). This dataset and map service contains the following layer.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program requires that each CDBG funded activity must either principally benefit low- and moderate-income persons, aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight, or meet a community development need having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community and other financial resources are not available to meet that need. With respect to activities that principally benefit low- and moderate-income persons, at least 51 percent of the activity's beneficiaries must be low and moderate income. For CDBG, a person is considered to be of low income only if he or she is a member of a household whose income would qualify as "very low income" under the Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments program. Generally, these Section 8 limits are based on 50% of area median. Similarly, CDBG moderate income relies on Section 8 "lower income" limits, which are generally tied to 80% of area median. These data are derived from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey (ACS) and based on Census 2010 geography.

To learn more about the Low to Moderate Income Populations visit: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/acs-low-mod-summary-data/, for questions about the spatial attribution of this dataset, please reach out to us at GISHelpdesk@hud.gov. Data Dictionary: DD_Low to Moderate Income Populations by Tract

This application can be used to help determine if an applicant's project meets the low/moderate income threshold for eligibility to be funded under the Lake County Illinois Community Development Block Grant program.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires local municipalities that receive CDBG formula entitlement funds to use the 2016-2020 ACS LMISD data file to determine where CDBG funds may be used for activities that are available to all the residents in a particular area. A CD-eligible census tract refers to 2010 census tracts where the area is primarily residential and at least 51.0% of the residents are low- and moderate-income as per the LMISD data file. For New York City, a primarily residential area is defined as one where at least 50.0% of the total built floor area is residential as determined by PLUTO 24v4. Low and moderate-income persons are defined as persons living in households with incomes below 80 percent of the area median household income (AMI).