Notice2026-07771
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) 2026 Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL)
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 22, 2026
Issuing agencies
Labor DepartmentEmployment and Training Administration
Abstract
Title I of WIOA requires the U.S. Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to update and publish the LLSIL tables annually, for uses described in the law (including determining eligibility for youth). WIOA defines the term "low-income individual" as (inter alia) one whose total family annual income does not exceed the higher level of the poverty line or 70 percent of the LLSIL. This issuance provides the Secretary's annual LLSIL for 2026 and references the current 2026 Health and Human Services "Poverty Guidelines."
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 77 (Wednesday, April 22, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21511-21513]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07771]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) 2026 Lower Living
Standard Income Level (LLSIL)
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Title I of WIOA requires the U.S. Secretary of Labor
(Secretary) to update and publish the LLSIL tables annually, for uses
described in the law (including determining eligibility for youth).
WIOA defines the term ``low-income individual'' as (inter alia) one
whose total family annual income does not exceed the higher level of
the poverty line or 70 percent of the LLSIL. This issuance provides the
Secretary's
[[Page 21512]]
annual LLSIL for 2026 and references the current 2026 Health and Human
Services ``Poverty Guidelines.''
DATES: This notice is applicable April 22, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Donald Haughton, Department of
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue
NW, Room C-4526, Washington, DC 20210 or email address:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8ee6effbe9e6fae1e0a0eae1e0efe2eaa0f9ceeae1e2a0e9e1f8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ef878e9a88879b8081c18b80818e838bc198af8b8083c1888099">[email protected]</span></a>. Federal Youth Employment Program
Information: Sara Hastings, Department of Labor, Employment and
Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N-4464,
Washington, DC 20210; or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ef6ffedeaf7f0f9edb0edffecffdefaf1f2b0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="adc5ccded9c4c3cade83deccdfccedc9c2c183cac2db">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of WIOA is to provide workforce
investment activities through statewide and local workforce investment
systems that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of
participants. WIOA programs are intended to increase the occupational
skill attainment by participants and the quality of the workforce,
thereby reducing welfare dependency and enhancing the productivity and
competitiveness of the Nation.
LLSIL is used for several purposes under the WIOA. Specifically,
WIOA section 3(36) defines the term ``low-income individual'' for
eligibility purposes, and sections 127(b)(2)(C) and 132(b)(1)(B)(v)(IV)
define the terms ``disadvantaged youth'' and ``disadvantaged adult'' in
terms of the poverty line or LLSIL for State formula allotments. The
Governor and State and local workforce development boards use the LLSIL
for determining eligibility for youth and adults for certain services.
ETA encourages Governors and State/local boards to consult the WIOA
Final Rule and ETA guidance for more specific guidance in applying
LLSIL to program requirements. The U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) published the most current poverty-level guidelines in
the Federal Register, January 15, 2026. The HHS 2026 Poverty guidelines
may also be found on the internet at <a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines">https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines</a>.
ETA will have the 2026 LLSIL and the HHS Poverty guidelines
available on its website at <a href="http://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/llsil">www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/llsil</a>.
WIOA section 3(36)(B) defines LLSIL as ``that income level
(adjusted for regional, metropolitan, urban and rural differences and
family size) determined annually by the Secretary of Labor based on the
most recent lower living family budget issued by the Secretary.'' The
most recent lower living family budget was issued by the Secretary in
fall 1981. The four-person urban family budget estimates, previously
published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provided the
basis for the Secretary to determine the LLSIL. BLS terminated the
four-person family budget series in 1982, after publication of the fall
1981 estimates. Currently, BLS provides data to ETA, which ETA then
uses to develop the LLSIL tables, as provided on the ETA LLSIL website
at <a href="http://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/llsil">www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/llsil</a>.
This notice updates the LLSIL to reflect cost of living increases
for 2025, by calculating the percentage change in the most recent 2025
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for an area to the
2024 CPI-U and then applying this calculation to each of the previously
published 2025 LLSIL figures. The 2026 LLSIL tables will be available
on the ETA LLSIL website at <a href="http://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/llsil">www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/llsil</a>.
The website contains updated figures for a four-person family in
table 1, listed by region for both metropolitan and non-metropolitan
areas. Incomes in all tables are rounded up to the nearest dollar.
Since program eligibility for ``low-income individuals,''
``disadvantaged adults,'' and ``disadvantaged youth'' may be determined
by family income at 70 percent of the LLSIL, pursuant to WIOA section
3(36)(A)(ii) and section 3(36)(B), respectively, those figures are
listed as well.
I. Jurisdictions
Jurisdictions included in the various regions, based generally on
the Census Regions of the U.S. Department of Commerce, are as follows:
A. Northeast
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
B. Midwest
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
C. South
Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia,
Florida, Georgia, Northern Marianas, Oklahoma, Palau, Puerto Rico,
South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Marshall Islands, Maryland,
Micronesia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia,
and West Virginia.
D. West
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Additionally, the LLSIL Excel
file provides separate figures for Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam.
Data for selected Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) are also
available. These are based on annual CPI-U changes for a 12-month
period ending in December 2025. The updated LLSIL figures for these
MSAs and 70 percent of LLSIL are also available in the LLSIL Excel
file.
The LLSIL Excel file also lists each of the various figures at 70
percent of the updated 2025 LLSIL for family sizes of one to six
persons. Please note, for families larger than six persons, an amount
equal to the difference between the six-person and the five-person
family income levels should be added to the six-person family income
level for each additional person in the family. Where the poverty level
for a particular family size is greater than the corresponding 70
percent of the LLSIL figure, the figure is shaded.
The LLSIL Excel file also indicates 100 percent of LLSIL for family
sizes of one to six and is used to determine self-sufficiency as noted
at section 3(36)(A)(ii) and section 3(36)(B) of WIOA.
II. Use of These Data
Governors should designate the appropriate LLSILs for use within
the State using the LLSIL Excel files on the website. The Governor's
designation may be provided by disseminating information on MSAs and
metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas within the State or it may
involve further calculations. An area can be part of multiple LLSIL
geographies. For example, an area in the State of New Jersey may have
four or more LLSIL figures. All cities, towns, and counties that are
part of a metro area in New Jersey are a part of the Northeast
metropolitan; some of these areas can also be a portion of the New York
City MSA. New Jersey also has areas that are part of the Philadelphia
MSA, a less populated area in New Jersey may be a part of the Northeast
non-metropolitan. If a workforce investment area includes areas that
would be covered by more than one LLSIL figure, the Governor may
determine which is to be used.
A State's policies and measures for the workforce investment system
shall be accepted by the Secretary to the extent that they are
consistent with WIOA and its regulations.
[[Page 21513]]
III. Disclaimer on Statistical Uses
It should be noted that publication of these figures is only for
the purpose of meeting the requirements specified by WIOA as defined in
the law and regulations. BLS has not revised the lower living family
budget since 1981 and has no plans to do so. The four-person urban
family budget estimates series were terminated by BLS in 1982. The CPI-
U adjustments used to update LLSIL for this publication are not
precisely comparable, most notably because certain tax items were
included in the 1981 LLSIL, but are not in the CPI-U. Thus, these
figures should not be used for any statistical purposes and are valid
only for those purposes under WIOA as defined in the law and
regulations.
Henry Maklakiewicz,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, Labor.
[FR Doc. 2026-07771 Filed 4-21-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P
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This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.