A Qualified Census Tract (QCT) is a HUD-designated census tract where at least half of households earn below 60% of Area Median Income, or where the poverty rate is 25% or higher. HUD publishes the Massachusetts designations each year.
A LIHTC development located in a QCT is eligible for a 30% basis boost, which increases the credits available for the project. QCTs also tend to concentrate voucher-holding households, which is why Section 8 investors watch them.
No. A QCT is based on income and poverty concentration, while a Difficult Development Area (DDA) is based on high construction, land, and utility costs relative to area incomes. Both can qualify a LIHTC project for the same 30% basis boost.
Yes — business-purpose loans on non-owner-occupied property are underwritten on the property and the borrower's experience, not on tract designation. Property condition, rent documentation, and market liquidity still drive the terms available, subject to lender approval.
Every update below is a published figure from a named federal source, shown with the exact period that source covers. Where a dataset is only produced at county or state level, it is labelled that way rather than presented as city data. These are market statistics for informational purposes only — they are not rates, loan terms, or an offer of credit.
The most recent published Census reading for Massachusetts shows a median owner-occupied home value of $525,800, a median gross rent of $1,687 per month. These are survey estimates for the period shown, not live listing prices, and they are the starting point investors use to sanity-check a rent assumption before underwriting a DSCR file.
Census reports a population of 6,992,395, a median household income of $101,341, a rental vacancy estimate of 8.4% for Massachusetts. Income and vacancy set the practical ceiling on achievable rent, which is what a DSCR calculation is ultimately built on.
Source periods represented above: ACS estimates, ACS 5-Year 2023. Each figure updates only when its publisher releases a new period — we never restamp an older reading with a newer date.
Informational market data only. Nothing in this section is a rate, an annual percentage rate, a payment, a loan term, an approval, or an offer or commitment to lend. Citing a federal dataset does not imply the agency endorses, sponsors or is affiliated with Simply Approved Mortgages LLC (NMLS #2620881). Financing referenced on this page is business-purpose investment property financing.
Send the address and we'll pull the FMR, confirm QCT status, and reply with DSCR pricing feedback.
Get Your Personalized Rate QuoteA DSCR file is judged on the property, not your tax returns: qualifying rent divided by PITIA — principal, interest, taxes, insurance, plus HOA and flood where they apply. Most programs use the lesser of the in-place lease rent and the appraiser's market rent, so a lease signed below market usually caps the ratio no matter how strong the comps look.
Three inputs move the outcome more than anything else: rent support on the appraiser's rent schedule (Form 1007 or 1025), the LTV tier, and the credit tier. Dropping leverage by five points or moving up a FICO band frequently changes pricing more than shopping a different lender does.
Before you write an offer, price taxes and insurance at post-sale levels rather than the seller's current bill. In reassess-on-transfer states and in coastal insurance markets, that single adjustment is the most common reason a deal that penciled at contract fails the ratio at underwriting.
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Pick the loan type that fits your deal and complete a short, tailored pre-qualification. A licensed loan officer follows up with an initial scenario review once we have your credit authorization and supporting documents — usually the same business day. Formal pricing and terms follow underwriting.
The form below is tailored to DSCR rental loan — only the questions your program needs.
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| County | FIPS | QCTs | Sample tract GEOIDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County | 25025 | 90 | 25025170200, 25025082100, 25025060700, 25025080900, 25025081400 |
| Essex County | 25009 | 45 | 25009217401, 25009206500, 25009250300, 25009204300, 25009250400 |
| Bristol County | 25005 | 35 | 25005651700, 25005642000, 25005650500, 25005650400, 25005650900 |
| Worcester County | 25027 | 35 | 25027754300, 25027731300, 25027710700, 25027731204, 25027707200 |
| Middlesex County | 25017 | 32 | 25017322300, 25017352400, 25017353900, 25017311200, 25017342102 |
| Hampden County | 25013 | 24 | 25013800900, 25013811600, 25013801101, 25013811500, 25013810901 |
| Norfolk County | 25021 | 12 | 25021413201, 25021456301, 25021420201, 25021417901, 25021417502 |
| Plymouth County | 25023 | 12 | 25023510300, 25023511301, 25023544200, 25023545100, 25023510400 |
| Barnstable County | 25001 | 7 | 25001011600, 25001012502, 25001012601, 25001015300, 25001014100 |
| Berkshire County | 25003 | 7 | 25003921400, 25003900600, 25003922100, 25003900200, 25003921300 |
| Franklin County | 25011 | 6 | 25011041301, 25011041302, 25011040501, 25011041400, 25011041200 |
| Hampshire County | 25015 | 4 | 25015820300, 25015820102, 25015820500, 25015822402 |
HUD designates a census tract as a QCT when either at least 50% of households have income below 60% AMI, OR the tract has a poverty rate of 25% or higher. QCT-designated projects qualify for a 130% qualified basis under LIHTC (the "30% basis boost"). For DSCR / Section 8 investors, QCTs also identify Massachusettsneighborhoods with the highest concentration of Housing Choice Voucher tenants — the same census tracts that consistently rent at or above FMR under HAP contracts.
