U.S. Mortgage Index

USDA loan

Definition

A USDA loan is a mortgage made under U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development housing programs. It is a government program loan, not a conventional loan and not an FHA or VA loan.

In plain English

USDA Rural Development offers mortgage programs for eligible rural buyers. Private lenders often originate the loans under those rules. Income, location, and other eligibility tests belong to USDA. This page names the program family. It does not state current income limits or down-payment rules.

Technical definition

CFPB’s USDA loan heading describes Rural Housing Service mortgage programs for eligible rural homebuyers. USDA handbook glossary language is PROGRAM_CONTEXT only, not universal PRIMARY.

Why it matters

Product comparisons that say government loan still have to split FHA, VA, and USDA.

Commonly confused with

Sources reviewed

Important note

This page does not publish current USDA income or property-location rules.