USDA state guide
USDA loans in Texas: eligible areas, income caps & where to buy
Texas runs the deepest USDA search demand in the country. The eligible band sits one ring past the growth edge of Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio — close enough to commute, far enough to still fall outside the mapped ineligible core. It is also where boundaries move fastest, so the exact-address check matters more here than almost anywhere.
How USDA eligibility works in Texas
There is no statewide "yes." USDA Rural Development publishes an ineligible-area map layer, and every property in Texas is either inside it or outside it. Eligibility is decided at the exact address point — not by town, ZIP, or county — so the same street can qualify on one side and not the other.
Income caps in Texas
USDA Guaranteed loans cap household income by county and household size. As a national floor for 2026, that is roughly $112,450 for 1–4 person households and $148,450 for 5–8 — many metro-adjacent Texas counties run higher. Confirm the current cap for your target county before touring, because it counts everyone under the roof, not just borrowers.
The full breakdown is in our income limits guide, including the adjusted-income deductions that can get a household under the cap.
The most-searched USDA towns in Texas
Top USDA lists for Texas buyers
Learn how USDA loans work
Check an exact Texas address with our free tool
The USDA Home Buyer Playbook walks the four filters, the offer that actually closes, and fillable worksheets — the full 54-page independent guide. Get the Playbook — $27 →