[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 74 (Monday, April 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21750-21752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8993]


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 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


State Median Income Estimate for a Four-Person Family: Notice of 
the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2012 State Median Income Estimates for 
Use Under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

AGENCY: Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community 
Services, Division of Energy Assistance, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of State median income estimates for FFY 2012.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces to LIHEAP grantees the estimated median 
income of four-person families in each State and the District of 
Columbia for FFY 2012 (October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2012). LIHEAP 
grantees that choose to base their income eligibility criteria on these 
State median income (SMI) estimates may adopt these estimates (up to 60 
percent) on the estimates' date of publication in the Federal Register 
or on a later date as discussed below. This enables these grantees to 
implement this notice during the period between the heating and cooling 
seasons. However, by October 1, 2011, or the beginning of the grantees' 
fiscal years, whichever is later, these grantees must adjust their 
income eligibility criteria so that such criteria are in accord with 
the FFY 2012 SMI.
    This listing of 60 percent of SMI provides one of the maximum 
income criteria that LIHEAP grantees may use in determining a 
household's income eligibility for LIHEAP.
    LIHEAP appropriations for FFY 2009 through FFY 2010 raised this 
criterion from 60 percent of SMI to 75 percent of SMI for those years. 
The Continuing Resolutions covering FFY 2011 through the date of this 
publication have maintained this criterion at 75 percent of SMI. This 
criterion will remain at 75 percent SMI for FFY 2011 unless Congress 
acts otherwise after the date of this publication. This criterion will 
return to 60 percent of SMI for FFY 2012 unless Congress acts otherwise 
in providing FFY 2012 appropriations after the publication of this 
notice. This is because no change to the LIHEAP authorizing statute has 
been made.

DATES: Effective Date: For each LIHEAP grantee, these estimates become 
effective at any time between their date of publication in the Federal 
Register and the later of October 1, 2011, or the beginning of that 
grantee's fiscal year.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Edelman, Office of Community 
Services, Division of Energy Assistance, 5th Floor West, 370 L'Enfant 
Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447, Telephone: (202) 401-5292, E-
Mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the provisions of section 2603(11) of 
Title XXVI of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, Public Law 
(Pub. L.) 97-35, as amended, HHS announces the estimated median income 
of four-person families for each State, the District of Columbia, and 
the United States for FFY 2012 (October 1, 2011, through September 30, 
2012).
    Section 2605(b)(2)(B)(ii) of this Act provides that 60 percent of 
the median income of four-person families for each State and the 
District of Columbia (State median income, or SMI), as annually

[[Page 21751]]

established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, is one of 
the income criteria that LIHEAP grantees may use in determining a 
household's eligibility for LIHEAP.
    LIHEAP was last authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public 
Law 109-58, which was enacted on August 8, 2005. This authorization 
expired on September 30, 2007, and reauthorization remains pending.
    The SMI estimates that HHS publishes in this notice are three-year 
estimates derived from the American Community Survey (ACS) conducted by 
the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce (Census Bureau). 
HHS obtained these estimates directly from the Census Bureau. For 
additional information about the ACS State median income estimates, see 
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/statemedian/index.html. For 
additional information about the ACS in general, see http://www.census.gov/acs/www/ or contact the Census Bureau's Housing and 
Household Economic Statistics Division at (301) 763-3243.
    Under the advice of the Census Bureau, HHS switched to three-year 
estimates rather than single-year estimates to reduce the large year-
to-year fluctuations that the single-year estimates tend to generate 
for certain States and the District of Columbia. HHS plans to use the 
Census Bureau's ACS-derived SMI three-year estimates for all fiscal 
years after 2010. For further information about ACS one-year and three-
year estimates, see http://factfinder.census.gov/jsp/saff/SAFFInfo.jsp?_content=acs_guidance.html.
    The SMI estimates, like those derived from any survey, are subject 
to two types of errors: (1) Nonsampling Error, which consists of random 
errors that increase the variability of the data and non-random errors 
that consistently direct the data into a specific direction; and (2) 
Sampling Error, which consists of the error that arises from the use of 
probability sampling to create the sample. For additional information 
about the accuracy of the ACS SMI estimates, see http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdf.
    A State-by-State listing of SMI and 60 percent of SMI for a four-
person family for FFY 2012 follows. The listing describes the method 
for adjusting SMI for families of different sizes as specified in 
regulations applicable to LIHEAP, at 45 CFR 96.85(b), which were 
published in the Federal Register on March 3, 1988, at 53 FR 6824 and 
amended on October 15, 1999, at 64 FR 55858.

    Dated: March 22, 2011.
Yolanda J. Butler,
Acting Director, Office of Community Services.

  Estimated State Median Income for a Four-Person Family, by State, for
  Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2012, for Use in the Low Income Home Energy
                       Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         60 percent of
                                     Estimated State    estimated State
              States                median income for  median income for
                                       four-person        four-person
                                       families\1\        families 2 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama...........................            $63,888            $38,333
Alaska............................             86,515             51,909
Arizona...........................             69,119             41,471
Arkansas..........................             56,219             33,731
California........................             78,666             47,200
Colorado..........................             80,717             48,430
Connecticut.......................            102,127             61,276
Delaware..........................             83,602             50,161
District of Columbia..............             69,558             41,735
Florida...........................             67,705             40,623
Georgia...........................             68,908             41,345
Hawaii............................             87,463             52,478
Idaho.............................             62,079             37,247
Illinois..........................             80,607             48,364
Indiana...........................             69,434             41,660
Iowa..............................             73,413             44,048
Kansas............................             71,842             43,105
Kentucky..........................             63,825             38,295
Louisiana.........................             66,109             39,665
Maine.............................             68,237             40,942
Maryland..........................            101,997             61,198
Massachusetts.....................            100,058             60,035
Michigan..........................             73,433             44,060
Minnesota.........................             86,099             51,659
Mississippi.......................             55,809             33,485
Missouri..........................             70,232             42,139
Montana...........................             66,079             39,647
Nebraska..........................             70,665             42,399
Nevada............................             71,230             42,738
New Hampshire.....................             91,832             55,099
New Jersey........................            101,841             61,105
New Mexico........................             54,500             32,700
New York..........................             82,531             49,519
North Carolina....................             67,966             40,780
North Dakota......................             74,177             44,506
Ohio..............................             72,817             43,690
Oklahoma..........................             61,881             37,129
Oregon............................             72,093             43,256

[[Page 21752]]

 
Pennsylvania......................             78,287             46,972
Rhode Island......................             87,669             52,601
South Carolina....................             64,228             38,537
South Dakota......................             68,064             40,838
Tennessee.........................             63,480             38,088
Texas.............................             65,508             39,305
Utah..............................             70,322             42,193
Vermont...........................             74,877             44,926
Virginia..........................             85,546             51,328
Washington........................             81,788             49,073
West Virginia.....................             58,739             35,243
Wisconsin.........................             77,946             46,768
Wyoming...........................             75,998             45,599
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: FFY 2012 covers the period of October 1, 2011, through September
  30, 2012. The estimated median income for four-person families living
  in the United States for this period is $74,985. These estimates
  become effective for LIHEAP at any time between the date of this
  publication and October 1, 2011, or the beginning of a LIHEAP
  grantee's fiscal year, whichever is later.
\1\ Prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce
  (Census Bureau), from three-year estimates from the 2007, 2008 and
  2009 American Community Surveys (ACSs). These estimates, like those
  derived from any survey, are subject to two types of errors: (1)
  Nonsampling Error, which consists of random errors that increase the
  variability of the data and non-random errors that consistently direct
  the data into a specific direction; and (2) Sampling Error, which
  consists of the error that arises from the use of probability sampling
  to create the sample.
\2\ These figures were calculated by the U.S. Department of Health and
  Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of
  Community Services, Division of Energy Assistance (DEA) by multiplying
  the estimated State median income for a four-person family for each
  State by 60 percent.
\3\ To adjust for different sizes of family, 45 CFR 96.85 calls for
  multiplying 60 percent of a State's estimated median income for a four-
  person family by the following percentages: 52 percent for one person,
  68 percent for two persons, 84 percent for three persons, 100 percent
  for four persons, 116 percent for five persons, and 132 percent for
  six persons. For each additional family member above six persons, 45
  CFR 96.85 calls for adding 3 percentage points to the percentage for a
  six-person family (132 percent) and multiply the new percentage by 60
  percent of a State's estimated median income for a four-person family.

[FR Doc. 2011-8993 Filed 4-15-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-24-P