Loan Limits / Massachusetts / Suffolk County
2026 Loan Limits · Massachusetts · BOSTON-CAMBRIDGE-NEWTON, MA-NH
Suffolk County, MA.
2026 conforming and FHA loan limits, calibrated to a median sales price of $837,000. This county is designated high-cost — conforming limits exceed the national baseline.
Median Sales Price
$837,000
Per HUD CHUMS, 2026
Conforming 1u Limit
$962,550
High-cost
FHA 1u Limit
$962,550
Mid-tier
Jumbo Threshold
> $962,550
1-unit · loans above this are jumbo
Conforming (Fannie / Freddie)
High-cost| 1-unit (single-family) | $962,550 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $1,232,250 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $1,489,500 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $1,851,100 |
FHA Forward (203b)
Mid-tier| 1-unit (single-family) | $962,550 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $1,232,250 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $1,489,500 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $1,851,100 |
About this county
About Suffolk County
Suffolk County is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county comprises the cities of Boston, Chelsea, and Revere, and the town of Winthrop. The traditional county seat is Boston, the state capital and the largest city in Massachusetts. The county government was abolished in 1999, resulting in Suffolk County now functioning only as an administrative subdivision of state government and a set of communities grouped together for some statistical purposes. Suffolk County is located at the core of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the greater Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area. Read more on Wikipedia →
Population
782,172
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Household Income
$92,859
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Home Value (Census)
$680,700
Owner-occupied · ACS 2023
Owner-Occupancy Rate
37%
Of occupied housing
What these limits mean for buyers in Suffolk County
The 2026 conforming 1-unit limit for Suffolk County is $962,550. Loans at or below this amount can be sold by the originating lender to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which keeps pricing tight and underwriting consistent. Because Suffolk County is designated a high-cost area, the limit exceeds the national baseline of $832,750.
For FHA financing, the 2026 1-unit limit is $962,550. The HUD CHUMS table pegs the median sales price for Suffolk County at $837,000. Suffolk County is in HUD's FHA high-cost tier — its limit sits between the national floor of $541,287 and the ceiling of $1,249,125, calculated as 115% of the area median.
Practical takeaway. The median sales price in Suffolk County ($837,000) is below both limits — FHA, conventional, and VA financing all cover median-priced purchases here. Choice between programs comes down to credit, down payment, and overlay differences.
How the limits are set
Conforming limits come from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which adjusts them each year based on changes in the FHFA Housing Price Index. FHA limits come from HUD: the national floor is $541,287 (65% of conforming baseline), the ceiling is $1,249,125 (150% of conforming baseline), and counties between are calculated as 115% of the area median sales price.
Multi-unit and house-hacking math
Suffolk County 2-, 3-, and 4-unit conforming limits are $1,232,250, $1,489,500, and $1,851,100 respectively. If you're house-hacking — owner-occupying one unit of a 2-4 unit property — these are the limits that matter, and the rental income on the other units can be used to qualify. FHA and VA both finance owner-occupied 2-4 unit properties at their own multi-unit limits.
Limits effective 2026 per HUD CHUMS publication. Sourced GSE and FHA files. Generated 2026-04-26.
Buying in Suffolk County?
We'll structure the loan against the right limit and the right program. Conforming, FHA, VA, jumbo — all in-house.