LIHEAP IM 2017-3 State Median Income Estimates for Optional Use in FY 2017 LIHEAP Programs and Mandatory Use in FY 2018

Publication Date: July 25, 2017

Current as of: June 14, 2019

Low Income Home Energy Assistance

Information Memorandum

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Office of Community Services
Division of Energy Assistance
330 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
/programs/ocs/liheap

Transmittal No. LIHEAP-IM-2017-03 Date: June 26, 2017

TO: LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) GRANTEES AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES

GUIDANCE INTENDED FOR: X STATES
X TRIBES/TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS
X TERRITORIES

SUBJECT: State Median Income Estimates for Optional Use in Federal Fiscal Year 2017 LIHEAP Programs and Mandatory Use in Federal Fiscal Year 2018 LIHEAP Programs.

RELATED (1) The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act, Title XXVI of the

REFERENCES: Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, Public Law 97-35, as amended; and

(2)45 CFR 96.85 (b), Income Eligibility — Final Rule, published in the Federal Register on March 3, 1988 (53 FR 6827) and amended October 15, 1999 (64 FR 55858).

PURPOSE: To provide to LIHEAP grantees the State Median Income (SMI) estimates for use in LIHEAP programs for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2018.

BACKGROUND: Section 2605(b)(2)(B) of P.L. 97-35 sets the maximum allowed in determining income eligibility for LIHEAP at 60 percent of SMI, except where 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) is higher. LIHEAP grantees may set their programs’ income eligibility criteria anywhere between 110 percent of FPG and the maximum referenced above.

CONTENT: In this memorandum, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces that it has updated the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) income-eligibility limits based on SMI for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These limits make up part of the maximum eligibility criteria that LIHEAP grantees may use in their program design. LIHEAP grantees may set criteria anywhere between 110 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) and the greater of (1) 60 percent of SMI and (2) 150 percent of FPG.

HHS calculated these limits from the SMI estimates for a 4-person family developed by the United States Census Bureau (Census Bureau). HHS used the Census Bureau’s estimates from the American Community Survey for a 4-person family at a 100 percent of SMI for each state. HHS then calculated 60 percent of those estimates, adjusted by family size, and published the resulting figures in this memorandum. LIHEAP grantees are to treat family size as household size

HHS calculated these limits for households of sizes other than 4 persons under the methodology specified in 45 CFR 96.85. This methodology calls for HHS to multiply the limit for a four-person household by the following: (1) 52 percent for one person; (2) 68 percent for two persons; (3) 84 percent for three persons; (4) 100 percent for four persons; (5) 116 percent for five persons; and (6) 132 percent for six persons. HHS did not calculate the limits for households of sizes greater than six persons; however, those limits are based on that for a four-person family times 132 percent plus 3 percentage points for each household member above six. See Attachment 1 for (1) the 60 percent of SMI figures for households of sizes one through six; and (2) a reiteration of the instructions for calculating 60 percent of SMI for households of sizes greater than six.

Grantees must limit LIHEAP eligibility to 150 percent of the FPG or 60 percent of SMI. Grantees must set LIHEAP income-eligibility at or below the greater of these two levels; however, they may not set LIHEAP income-eligibility below 110 percent of the FPG.

Optional Use

Grantees that use SMI to set their programs’ income eligibility criteria may adopt these estimates at any time between the date of the publication of this document and October 1, 2017 (the beginning of FFY 2018) or the beginning of the grantee’s fiscal year, whichever is later.

Mandatory Use

LIHEAP grantees that use SMI to set their programs’ income eligibility criteria must adopt these estimates by no later than October 1, 2017 (the beginning of FFY 2018) or the beginning of the grantee’s fiscal year, whichever is later.

ATTACHMENT: (1) 60 percent of estimated state median income adjusted for family size, by state, FFY 2018

INQUIRIES: Sharnice Peters, Program Analyst
Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services, ACF, HHS
330 C Street, S.W.

Mail Stop 5425
Washington, D.C. 20201
(202) 401-4046
E-mail: sharnice.peters@acf.hhs.gov

/s/
J. Janelle George
Acting Director
Office of Community Services

Attachment 1

ESTIMATED STATE MEDIAN INCOME, BY HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND BY STATE, FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR 2018

States	Estimated SMI for four-person families[1]	60 percent of estimated SMI for four-person families[2]	60 Percent of Estimated State Median Income²
States	Estimated SMI for four-person families[1]		1-Person Hsehld.	2-Person Hsehld.	3-Person Hsehld.	4-Person Hsehld.	5-Person Hsehld.	6-Person Hsehld.
Alabama	$68,328	$40,997	$21,318	$27,878	$34,437	$40,997	$47,557	$54,116
Alaska	95,784	57,470	29,884	39,080	48,275	57,470	66,665	75,860
Arizona	68,700	41,220	21,434	28,030	34,625	41,220	47,815	54,410
Arkansas	61,349	36,809	19,141	25,030	30,920	36,809	42,698	48,588
California	80,691	48,415	25,176	32,922	40,669	48,415	56,161	63,908
Colorado	89,480	53,688	27,918	36,508	45,098	53,688	62,278	70,868
Connecticut	110,149	66,089	34,366	44,941	55,515	66,089	76,663	87,237
Delaware	90,193	54,116	28,140	36,799	45,457	54,116	62,775	71,433
Dist. of Col.	96,608	57,965	30,142	39,416	48,691	57,965	67,239	76,514
Florida	68,282	40,969	21,304	27,859	34,414	40,969	47,524	54,079
Georgia	70,659	42,395	22,045	28,829	35,612	42,395	49,178	55,961
Hawaii	90,200	54,120	28,142	36,802	45,461	54,120	62,779	71,438
Idaho	64,980	38,988	20,274	26,512	32,750	38,988	45,226	51,464
Illinois	86,345	51,807	26,940	35,229	43,518	51,807	60,096	68,385
Indiana	74,259	44,555	23,169	30,297	37,426	44,555	51,684	58,813
Iowa	81,261	48,757	25,354	33,155	40,956	48,757	56,558	64,359
Kansas	78,955	47,373	24,634	32,214	39,793	47,373	54,953	62,532
Kentucky	70,946	42,568	22,135	28,946	35,757	42,568	49,379	56,190
Louisiana	73,576	44,146	22,956	30,019	37,083	44,146	51,209	58,273
Maine	79,237	47,542	24,722	32,329	39,935	47,542	55,149	62,755
Maryland	110,038	66,023	34,332	44,896	55,459	66,023	76,587	87,150
Massachusetts	110,191	66,115	34,380	44,958	55,537	66,115	76,693	87,272
Michigan	79,077	47,446	24,672	32,263	39,855	47,446	55,037	62,629
Minnesota	96,153	57,692	30,000	39,231	48,461	57,692	66,923	76,153
Mississippi	60,081	36,049	18,745	24,513	30,281	36,049	41,817	47,585
Missouri	75,671	45,403	23,610	30,874	38,139	45,403	52,667	59,932
Montana	72,793	43,676	22,712	29,700	36,688	43,676	50,664	57,652
Nebraska	80,086	48,052	24,987	32,675	40,364	48,052	55,740	63,429
Nevada	69,361	41,617	21,641	28,300	34,958	41,617	48,276	54,934
New Hampshr.	102,375	61,425	31,941	41,769	51,597	61,425	71,253	81,081
New Jersey	110,206	66,124	34,384	44,964	55,544	66,124	76,704	87,284
New Mexico	61,388	36,833	19,153	25,046	30,940	36,833	42,726	48,620
New York	89,137	53,482	27,811	36,368	44,925	53,482	62,039	70,596
North Carolina	70,319	42,191	21,939	28,690	35,440	42,191	48,942	55,692
North Dakota	90,749	54,449	28,313	37,025	45,737	54,449	63,161	71,873
Ohio	79,552	47,731	24,820	32,457	40,094	47,731	55,368	63,005
Oklahoma	66,817	40,090	20,847	27,261	33,676	40,090	46,504	52,919
Oregon	74,022	44,413	23,095	30,201	37,307	44,413	51,519	58,625
Pennsylvania	86,358	51,815	26,944	35,234	43,525	51,815	60,105	68,396
Rhode Island	93,204	55,922	29,079	38,027	46,974	55,922	64,870	73,817
South Carolina	67,364	40,418	21,017	27,484	33,951	40,418	46,885	53,352
South Dakota	77,546	46,528	24,195	31,639	39,084	46,528	53,972	61,417
Tennessee	67,831	40,699	21,163	27,675	34,187	40,699	47,211	53,723
Texas	72,518	43,511	22,626	29,587	36,549	43,511	50,473	57,435
Utah	74,437	44,662	23,224	30,370	37,516	44,662	51,808	58,954
Vermont	86,166	51,700	26,884	35,156	43,428	51,700	59,972	68,244
Virginia	94,877	56,926	29,602	38,710	47,818	56,926	66,034	75,142
Washington	88,050	52,830	27,472	35,924	44,377	52,830	61,283	69,736
West Virginia	69,606	41,764	21,717	28,400	35,082	41,764	48,446	55,128
Wisconsin	85,259	51,155	26,601	34,785	42,970	51,155	59,340	67,525
Wyoming	81,895	49,137	25,551	33,413	41,275	49,137	56,999	64,861
Puerto Rico	29,290	17,574	9,138	11,950	14,762	17,574	20,386	23,198

Note--The estimated U.S. median income for 4-person families is $80,501 for the period of October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018.

[1] Prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce (Census Bureau) from the 2011 through 2015 American Community Surveys (ACSs). For further information, see Table B19119 for the five-year estimates of the 2011 through 2015 ACSs. One can find this table by undertaking the following steps: (1) going to the webpage http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtml?refresh=t; (2) click on “Topics (age, income, year, dataset,…)” (3) under “Dataset” select “2015 ACS 5-year estimates” dataset; (4) selecting “Geographies (states, counties, places, ...)”; (5) selecting a geographic type of “State -040” (6) select “All States within United States and Puerto Rico”; (7) selecting the additional geographic type “United States -010” (8)selecting “United States”; and (9) enter under “Topic or table name” B19119 (10) clicking on “Go”.(11) click on the hyperlink entitled “MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2015 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS) BY FAMILY SIZE”. Alternatively, one can contact the Census Bureau's Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division (SEHSD) at (301) 763-3243.

[2] Prepared by the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Division of Energy Assistance. In accordance with 45 CFR 96.85, 60 percent of each State's estimated median income for a four-person family is multiplied by the following percentages to adjust for household size for LIHEAP: 52 percent for one person, 68 percent for two persons, 84 percent for three persons, 100 percent for four persons, 116 percent for five persons, and 132 percent for six persons. For each additional household member above six persons, add three percentage points to the percentage for a six-person household (132 percent), and multiply the new percentage by 60 percent of the State's estimated median income for a four-person household.

Files

PDF LIHEAP FY 2017 State Median Income Estimates (228.63 KB)