What HUD offices serve Redwood City, 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 Redwood City.
How many renters live in Redwood City, California?
The City of Redwood City has 80,529 people living in 29,998 households.
There are 39,112 renters living in 16,200 renter households in this City. Renters make up 48.57 percent of the population living in Redwood City.
What is the rental market like in Redwood City, California?
There are an estimated 32,099 housing units in the Redwood City area. Of these, 16,982 units are rental homes, making up 53 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Redwood City, California, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Redwood City?
The rental vacancy rate in Redwood City is 7 percent. This is a higher than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are high it means that there are a lot of available units and rents tend to be lower.
How many rental units are in Redwood City for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Redwood City
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,619 | 6,025 | 5,347 | 2,130 | 475 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Redwood City
A large number of apartments in Redwood City 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 Redwood City are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 48 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 21 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 Redwood City
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 Redwood City, California
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Redwood City?
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 | 306 | 19 percent |
| One BR | 456 | 8 percent |
| Two BR | 225 | 4 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Redwood City, California
How many affordable rental units are in Redwood City?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Redwood City, California including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 297 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 263 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 14 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Redwood City, California
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Redwood City, California
Redwood City features 467 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 Redwood City, California
There are 451 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Redwood City.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Redwood City, California
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Redwood City landlords $1,500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Redwood City.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Redwood City, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $3,023 and $3,695.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
