What HUD offices serve El Centro, California?
Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.
Go to the California Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near El Centro.
How many renters live in El Centro, California?
The City of El Centro has 44,184 people living in 12,225 households.
There are 20,603 renters living in 6,025 renter households in this City. Renters make up 46.63 percent of the population living in El Centro.
What is the rental market like in El Centro, California?
There are an estimated 13,958 housing units in the El Centro area. Of these, 6,367 units are rental homes, making up 46 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in El Centro, California, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in El Centro?
The rental vacancy rate in El Centro is 5 percent. This is a lower than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are low there are fewer available units. Rents tend to be higher as more people compete for scarce housing.
How many rental units are in El Centro for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in El Centro
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 395 | 1,515 | 2,154 | 1,432 | 466 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in El Centro
A large number of apartments in El Centro have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.
How many renter households in El Centro are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 52 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 22 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.
The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.
How Much Is Rent in El Centro
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $872 to $2,138. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $872 |
| One BR | $1,001 |
| Two BR | $1,286 |
| Three BR | $1,771 |
| Four BR | $2,138 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in El Centro, California
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in El Centro?
Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.
These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:
| Unit Size | Count of Units Below FMR | Percentage of Total Units Below FMR |
| Studio | 330 | 84 percent |
| One BR | 1,360 | 90 percent |
| Two BR | 1,594 | 74 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in El Centro, California
How many affordable rental units are in El Centro?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in El Centro, California including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 498 |
| Public Housing | 167 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 145 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 1 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in El Centro, California
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in El Centro, California
El Centro features 496 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.
Low Rent Apartments in El Centro, California
There are 538 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in El Centro.
Housing Choice Vouchers in El Centro, California
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay El Centro landlords $400 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in El Centro.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in El Centro, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,157 and $1,415.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
