A six-figure salary is considered 'low income' in San Francisco, and the threshold is rising
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Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Image 1 of 14 Buy photo Habitat for Humanity of Greater San Francisco unveiled new low income homes in the Oceanview neighborhood of San Francisco, CA on Saturday, January 28, 2017. Habitat for Humanity of Greater San Francisco unveiled new low income homes in the Oceanview neighborhood of San Francisco, CA on Saturday, January 28, 2017. Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Buy this photo Image 2 of 14 GALLERY: Stories from people who left the Bay Area for other parts of CA GALLERY: Stories from people who left the Bay Area for other parts of CA Photo: David McNew, Getty Images Image 3 of 14 Brian Whyte 30, associate
Where do you live now? Fresno
How long has it been since you left? Two years
What made you leave the Bay Area? Pushed out due to higher costs.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? It's a lot cheaper here.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area? Not until prices fall.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area? The classic urban vibe it once held for all! less Brian Whyte 30, associate
Are you better off now than when you were living ... more Photo: Miles Bocianski/EyeEm/Getty Image 4 of 14 Nichole 33, dentist
Where do you live now? Auburn, Calif.
How long did you live in the Bay Area? 11 years
How long has it been since you left? 3 years
What made you leave the Bay Area? Cost of living, hard to find jobs.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? Yes. Moved from a basement apartment in East Bay to a whole house in Sac for less. Was able to save up and bought a house last year. My husband went back to school and I could support us on just my income.
What do you like most about Sacramento? Easier to drive around, can get in to any restaurant or bar, great cost of living, plenty of events, so close to nature.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area? Hell no. less Nichole 33, dentist
What made you leave the Bay Area? Cost of living, hard to find ... more Photo: Placer County Visitors Bureau Image 5 of 14 Image 6 of 14 Buy photo Patricia Egan 65, nonprofit management
Where do you live now? Chico, Calif.
How long did you live in the Bay Area? 45 years
How long has it been since you left? 7 months
What made you leave the Bay Area? Quality of life and family.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? Definitely yes. Just a better balance, less stress, no attitudes of entitlement. Very happy.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area? What I miss no longer exists. I have fond memories of my childhood, growing up, and so forth. But the old neighborhoods have changed greatly. less Patricia Egan 65, nonprofit management
What made you leave the Bay Area? Quality of ... more Photo: Paul Kuroda, Special To The Chronicle Buy this photo Image 7 of 14 Katy Hover-Smoot 34, entrepreneur
Where do you live now? Lake Tahoe
How long did you live in the Bay Area? My entire life, through undergrad and graduate school. My grandparents, parents, aunts, and many other family members are still there.
What made you leave the Bay Area? I'd grown up in the Bay Area, attended UCSC for undergrad, UC Berkeley for grad school, and was working at a good job in the outdoor industry. But every weekend I found myself escaping to Tahoe, driving in Friday afternoon traffic and dreading Sunday. If I did stay in the Bay Area for the weekend it was becoming increasingly impossible to get anywhere. 17 to Santa Cruz was slammed, the Bay Bridge was bumper-to-bumper, and if you did get to the trailhead, you were sharing it with hundreds of your closest friends. The Bay Area had changed.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? YES. YES. YES. Does that answer your question? I was able to buy and renovate a home in Alpine Meadows, I'm surrounded by a wonderful community of other young professionals who made similar decisions, and I ski over 100 days per year. I have wilderness 15 minutes from my front door, and one of the most beautiful lakes in the country in a 20 minute bike ride. But it's not all roses. Tahoe is increasingly crowded and the weekends can be a challenge. That said, we all stay for shoulder season. It's amazing. Never move here.
What do you miss the most about the Bay Area? The choice, the vibrant diversity, the arts, and the great food. less Katy Hover-Smoot 34, entrepreneur
How long did you live in the Bay Area? My entire life, through undergrad and graduate school. My grandparents, parents, aunts, and many other ... more Photo: Scott Sonner, Associated Press Image 8 of 14 Alison L. 29, graphic design
Where do you live now? Los Angeles
How long did you live in the Bay Area? 26 years
What made you leave the Bay Area? I couldn't afford rent anymore or find a job.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? Yes. I have a career and can afford rent without stressing.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area? I wish I could go back to my home, but all my friends have left, as well as the arts and music I loved. less Alison L. 29, graphic design
Are you better off now ... more Photo: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images Image 9 of 14 Shaun Parker 25, acting
How long did you live in the Bay Area? 6 years
What made you leave the Bay Area? The cost of living in the city does not allow any forgiveness. The anxiety of constantly needing to make as much money as possible without spending a dime of it eventually wore me thin, and when my freelance career hit a small bump, I had to pack my bags.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? Yes and no. Now I have a pretty nice room for only $600 a month, which lets me buy a sandwich without tearing my hair out over it. That said - I love the Bay Area, it's home for me. LA is cheaper but there're no trees and the air is super gross. I miss the Bay.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area? I really, really hope so. less Shaun Parker 25, acting
What made you leave the Bay Area? The cost of living in the city does not allow any forgiveness. The anxiety of ... more Photo: Nick Ut, Associated Press Image 10 of 14 Image 11 of 14 Colleen Killingsworth 25, media/video producer
How long did you live in the Bay Area? 23.5 years
What made you leave the Bay Area? My partner needed to move his business down to LA and I could no longer afford rent on my own... I was making $50k, but I have steep student loan payments, I have high medical costs/debt from chronic illnesses which I have struggled with since childhood, and I care for a large dog... I moved in with my mother in Petaluma (45 miles from my office in SF) because it was quite literally the only thing I could afford. But then I had to commute to the city for work, which ended up being massively expensive between gas and bridge toll five days a week, not to mention the 4-5 hours I spent in my car per day because traffic has gotten so unbelievably horrendous.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? Yes, absolutely. I live with people I know and trust, and even if I didn't, I could afford to live here on my own with my dog and still be able to make payments on all my debts. And that's huge—the ability to feel in control of what kind of living space you're in.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area? My boyfriend and I hope to and plan to because we both grew up there and our families are there, but the running joke is "only once we're rich." less Colleen Killingsworth 25, media/video producer
What made you leave the Bay Area? My partner needed to move his business down to LA ... more Photo: Jean-Pierre Lescourret/Getty Images/Lonely Planet Image Image 12 of 14 Gagandeep Singh 21, student
What made you leave the Bay Area? High cost of living
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? Yes, of course! Life is quite simple for the time [and] I am doing my general education courses.
Do you have plans of ever moving back to the Bay Area? YES! I have to get my degree (Computer Science) and work in Bay Area. There's no place like it, it's just that "to get something, one has to forget something." less Gagandeep Singh 21, student
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? Yes, of course! Life is quite simple ... more Photo: Robert Holmes/Getty Image 13 of 14 Robert Stone 66, real estate broker
Where do you live now? Palm Springs
How long did you live in the Bay Area? 31 years
How long has it been since you left? 11 years
What made you leave the Bay Area? I had a successful career, a beautiful Noe Valley home and a predictable life. I could've stayed and continued making tons of money but I felt I was in a no-growth situation. I was also tired of paying three prices for everything, fighting for parking, and living around all of those entitled trust fund babies.
Are you better off now than when you were living in the Bay Area? Yes, yes, yes. There is life after San Francisco. Since leaving I have written three books, been featured twice on the cover of the Los Angeles Times, and had a Canadian television series filmed around my life. I can't stand to go back to San Francisco these days. The city I loved when I moved there in 1974 no longer exists. less Robert Stone 66, real estate broker
What made you leave the Bay Area? I had a successful ... more Photo: LAURE JOLIET, STR Image 14 of 14 A six-figure salary is considered 'low income' in San Francisco, and the threshold is rising 1 / 14 Back to Gallery
The Bay Area is so expensive, earning $117,400 a year qualifies you as "low income" in some counties.
Every year the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development releases "income limits," the minimum income level required to qualify for some affordable housing programs.
To be considered "low income" in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties, a family of four must earn $117,400 a year. "Very low income" is considered $73,300.
The Bay Area figures are the highest in the country and continue to increase year over year. Income limits in some Bay Area cities increased by 10 percent just in the last year.
Most residents will roll their eyes at such figures — they're used to seeing the cost of rent and home ownership increase with the years. In May, the median home price in the Bay Area hit a record high at $935,000.
The high cost of living likely accounts for what some perceive to be a "Bay Area exodus." It's hard to quantify such a trend with limited census data, but multiple reports imply Bay Area residents are at least thinking about leaving. Real estate site Redfin determined the Bay Area as the top region for "outward migration" in the nation by analyzing where people were searching for homes.
"Jobs and housing are really the primary criteria driving people's decisions," Hans Johnson, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, told The Chronicle in March. "It's kind of a balancing act between the two. If jobs predominate, people are moving in. If housing predominates, you have less people moving in."
Here's the list of counties and the annual salaries that qualify as low income for a four-person family:
Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at [email protected] or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.