What HUD offices serve Menlo Park, 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 Menlo Park.
How many renters live in Menlo Park, California?
The City of Menlo Park has 33,324 people living in 11,661 households.
There are 11,610 renters living in 5,101 renter households in this City. Renters make up 34.84 percent of the population living in Menlo Park.
What is the rental market like in Menlo Park, California?
There are an estimated 13,114 housing units in the Menlo Park area. Of these, 5,654 units are rental homes, making up 43 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Menlo Park, California, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Menlo Park?
The rental vacancy rate in Menlo Park is 6 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 Menlo Park for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Menlo Park
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 638 | 1,493 | 1,760 | 990 | 176 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Menlo Park
A large number of apartments in Menlo Park 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 Menlo Park are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 41 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 17 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 Menlo Park
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,292 to $4,473. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $2,292 |
| One BR | $2,818 |
| Two BR | $3,359 |
| Three BR | $4,112 |
| Four BR | $4,473 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Menlo Park, California
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Menlo Park?
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 | 226 | 35 percent |
| One BR | 167 | 11 percent |
| Two BR | 130 | 7 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Menlo Park, California
How many affordable rental units are in Menlo Park?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Menlo Park, California including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 154 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 93 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Menlo Park, California
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park features 93 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 Menlo Park, California
There are 279 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Menlo Park.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Menlo Park, California
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Menlo Park landlords $1,500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Menlo Park.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Menlo Park, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $3,023 and $3,695.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
