The short version: three numbers decide whether a first-time buyer in Louisiana gets help: the program’s own cap, HUD’s income limit for the metro, and the FHA loan limit for the county. This page puts all three beside what a two-to-four-unit home costs in each Louisiana metro, because a duplex you live in is the one purchase where the rent from the other unit counts toward qualifying.
The statewide program in Louisiana
Local programs that beat the statewide one on a two-to-four-unit home:
- New Orleans, LA: Finance New Orleans (FANO) Green Mortgage Program, up to $25,000 (checked August 2026, source).
The full 83-metro survey, with the programs that failed the two-to-four-unit test, is on the down payment assistance page.
Income limits for assistance in Louisiana, by metro
Why the limit moves: HUD sets a median family income for every metro each year and most programs cap eligibility at 80% of it. The published 80% figure is adjusted, so it is not always exactly 80% of the median. The same salary can qualify in one Louisiana metro and miss in the next.
| Metro | Area median income (4 people) | HUD 80% limit (4 people) | HUD 80% limit (1 person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | $94,500 | $75,600 | $52,950 |
| New Orleans, LA | $88,600 | $70,900 | $49,650 |
What a duplex costs in Louisiana, and the income it takes
The part most buyers miss: in every Louisiana metro surveyed the income needed for the typical duplex sits above the four-person 80% limit, so income-tested assistance, where a city or county offers it, reaches cheaper buildings than the median one. The income figure is FHA’s 31% front-end guideline on the typical duplex at 6.71% with 3.5% down, before the 75% rent credit a lender applies to the second unit.
| Metro | Duplex entry price | Typical duplex | Income needed (31%) | Versus the 80% limit (4 people) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | $230,000 | $319,900 | $120,250 | over |
| New Orleans, LA | $300,000 | $389,000 | $144,543 | over |
FHA loan limits in Louisiana for 2026
An FHA loan, the 3.5%-down loan most first-time buyers use, caps the loan by county and by unit count. The two-, three- and four-unit limits are higher than the single-family limit, which is why a duplex can be financed with the same small down payment at a higher price.
| Metro | 1 unit | 2 units | 3 units | 4 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | $541,287 | $693,050 | $837,700 | $1,041,125 |
| New Orleans, LA | $541,287 | $693,050 | $837,700 | $1,041,125 |
Where these numbers come from
- Down payment assistance: state and local program pages, each checked for two-to-four-unit eligibility in the month shown; the 83-metro survey is published as open data.
- Area median income and the 80% limit: HUD FY2026 Income Limits (Section 8), huduser.gov.
- FHA loan limits: HUD CHUMS CY2026 forward limits by county, one- to four-unit columns.
- Duplex prices: the Foothold dataset, active two-to-four-unit listings screened Jun-Aug 2026. Income needed: FHA 31% front-end guideline at 6.71% (Freddie Mac 30-year average), 3.5% down, county tax rate and modeled insurance.
- All of it, as one file: the open data page (CC BY 4.0).
Program terms change without notice and eligibility has more tests than income. Verify on the program page and with a participating lender before you count on any of it.
Questions people ask about buying a first home in Louisiana
Does Louisiana Housing Corporation allow a duplex?
Louisiana Housing Corporation did not cover a two-to-four-unit home when checked in August 2026. Confirmed by the agency by email on 2026-08-13: “We do not allow down payment assistance on two to four unit properties”. A duplex buyer in Louisiana looks to a city or county program, or buys with the FHA 3.5% minimum and the 75% rent credit doing the work instead of a grant.
What is the income limit for down payment assistance in Louisiana?
The income limit most Louisiana assistance programs use is HUD’s 80% area median income figure for the metro, which for a four-person household is $70,900 in New Orleans and $75,600 in Baton Rouge for FY2026. Smaller households get a lower figure; $49,650 for one person in New Orleans.
Which Louisiana metro is cheapest for a duplex?
The cheapest Louisiana metro to buy a duplex in the dataset is Baton Rouge, where the entry price for a two-to-four-unit home that passed the screen is $230,000 and the typical one is $319,900. Entry means the 25th percentile of surviving listings, not the cheapest building on the market.
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