Census tract lookup by address
Enter a US street address to get its census tract (the 11-digit GEOID on 2020 boundaries) and the designations lenders and tax-credit programs read from it: the 2026 income level (low, moderate, middle or upper), HUD's Qualified Census Tract and Difficult Development Area status for 2026 and 2027, and whether it is in a designated Opportunity Zone. Free.
Census tract income levels
The income level compares the tract's median family income with the median family income of its metropolitan area (or, outside one, the statewide nonmetropolitan median). The thresholds are the Community Reinvestment Act definitions in 12 CFR 228.12; the 2026 percentages cover 87,276 tracts.
| Income level | Tract median family income, % of area median | CRA |
|---|---|---|
| Low income | Less than 50% | Low- and moderate-income (LMI) tract for the Community Reinvestment Act |
| Moderate income | 50% to less than 80% | LMI tract |
| Middle income | 80% to less than 120% | Not LMI |
| Upper income | 120% or more | Not LMI |
Qualified Census Tracts and Difficult Development Areas
HUD designates both every year for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. Section 42 defines a Qualified Census Tract as one where 50 percent or more of households have an income below 60 percent of the area median gross income or the poverty rate is at least 25 percent, and a Difficult Development Area as an area with high construction, land and utility costs relative to the area median gross income. In either one, HUD's notice explains, eligible basis may be increased up to 130 percent, so the credit can be up to 30 percent larger.
HUD's 2026 list has 14,496 Qualified Census Tracts and the 2027 list has 14,539. Metropolitan DDAs are ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (2,560 in 2026, 2,657 in 2027); nonmetropolitan DDAs are whole counties. The 2027 lists apply to credit allocated after December 31, 2026.
Opportunity Zones
The designated Opportunity Zones keep their 2010 census tract boundaries (IRS Announcement 2021-10), so the lookup reads the address's 2010 tract for that answer and its 2020 tract for the list of tracts eligible for nomination as 2027 zones. The Opportunity Zone lookup explains the 2027 round and lists the designated tracts by state.
How the lookup works
The address is matched to a location, which gives the tract and ZIP Code Tabulation Area at that point (2020-based tracts). If the match has a different house number or street direction from the one you typed, the lookup stops instead of answering for another place. The designations are then checked against the official income-level, QCT, DDA and Opportunity Zone lists.
A point near a tract boundary can fall in the neighbouring tract, and an agency can correct a list. Before relying on a designation for a tax credit, a CRA loan or an investment, confirm it with the agency. Related free tool: the USDA eligibility map for USDA home loans.
Questions
How do I find the census tract for an address?
Enter the street address above. The lookup matches it and returns the census tract the point falls in, as an 11-digit GEOID: 2 digits for the state, 3 for the county and 6 for the tract. It adds the tract's income level, Qualified Census Tract and Difficult Development Area status and Opportunity Zone status.
What is a census tract number?
The last six digits of the GEOID, written with an implied decimal point: tract code 006202 is Census Tract 62.02 and 980000 is Census Tract 9800. Tract numbers repeat across counties, so the full 11-digit GEOID (state, county and tract) is what identifies a tract.
What is a low- or moderate-income census tract?
Under the Community Reinvestment Act rules (12 CFR 228.12), a tract is low income when its median family income is less than 50 percent of the area median income, moderate income at 50 to less than 80 percent, middle income at 80 to less than 120 percent and upper income at 120 percent or more. Low and moderate together are LMI tracts. The area is the metropolitan area (MSA or metropolitan division) or, outside one, the statewide nonmetropolitan area.
What is a qualified census tract?
A Qualified Census Tract (QCT) is a tract HUD designates for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit where 50 percent or more of households have an income below 60 percent of the area median gross income, or the poverty rate is at least 25 percent. The 2026 list has 14,496 tracts and the 2027 list 14,539. A building in a QCT or DDA can have its eligible basis increased up to 130 percent.
What is a difficult development area?
A Difficult Development Area (DDA) is an area HUD designates where construction, land and utility costs are high relative to the area median gross income. In metropolitan areas HUD designates ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (2,657 on the 2027 list); outside them, whole nonmetropolitan counties (286 areas on the 2027 list).
Which year's QCT and DDA list applies?
HUD says the 2027 lists apply to allocations of credit after December 31, 2026, or, for bond-financed buildings, when the bonds are issued and the building is placed in service after December 31, 2026. An area that drops off a later list can keep its status for a complete application submitted while it was designated, if the credit allocation follows within 730 days. The lookup shows both the 2026 and 2027 lists.
Is a census tract the same as a ZIP code?
No. Census tracts are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county, generally with 1,200 to 8,000 people, which can be updated before each decennial census. ZIP codes are postal delivery routes. HUD's metropolitan DDAs use ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, the Census Bureau's area version of ZIP codes, so the lookup shows the ZCTA too.
Legal references
- 12 CFR 228.12, CRA definitions: income level of a census tract
- IRS Notice 2018-48, designated Qualified Opportunity Zones
- IRS Announcement 2021-10, QOZ boundaries unaffected by 2020 census changes
- IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-14, nominating census tracts as 2027 Qualified Opportunity Zones
Facts as of October 20, 2026. Not legal, tax or lending advice.
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