USDA Loan Calculator

USDA loans require the property to be in a USDA-eligible rural area (verifiable via the USDA Property Eligibility map - many small towns and suburban fringes qualify) and the household to fall within income limits. For the Guaranteed program, household income must be at or below 115% of the area median income. Credit scores of 640+ qualify automatically; below that requires manual underwriting.

USDA charges an upfront guarantee fee of 1.0% of the loan (financed) plus an annual fee of 0.35% paid monthly. On a $250,000 loan, that's $2,500 upfront plus about $73/month. Compared to FHA's 1.75% + 0.55% structure, USDA is the cheapest insured option for eligible buyers - and like VA, requires no down payment.

Income limits vary by county and household size. As a baseline for the Guaranteed program in 2026, a 1–4 person household typically caps around $115,000–$125,000 of adjusted income in most areas, rising to roughly $150,000–$170,000 in higher-cost counties. The Direct program (subsidized) has much lower limits - typically $50,000–$80,000.

USDA uses Census data plus updates from the 2020 census; eligible areas generally have populations under 35,000. Many outer suburbs of mid-sized cities qualify - the rule of thumb is that anything outside a major metropolitan core is worth checking on the USDA eligibility map at eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov.