What HUD offices serve San Mateo, 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 San Mateo.
How many renters live in San Mateo, California?
The City of San Mateo has 100,996 people living in 38,051 households.
There are 44,034 renters living in 17,741 renter households in this City. Renters make up 43.6 percent of the population living in San Mateo.
What is the rental market like in San Mateo, California?
There are an estimated 42,903 housing units in the San Mateo area. Of these, 20,821 units are rental homes, making up 49 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in San Mateo, California, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in San Mateo?
The rental vacancy rate in San Mateo 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 San Mateo for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Mateo
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,505 | 6,296 | 6,803 | 2,987 | 608 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Mateo
A large number of apartments in San Mateo 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 San Mateo are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 47 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 26 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 San Mateo
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 San Mateo, California
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in San Mateo?
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 | 382 | 15 percent |
| One BR | 723 | 11 percent |
| Two BR | 447 | 7 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in San Mateo, California
How many affordable rental units are in San Mateo?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in San Mateo, California including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 512 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 270 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in San Mateo, California
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in San Mateo, California
San Mateo features 441 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 San Mateo, California
There are 403 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Mateo.
Housing Choice Vouchers in San Mateo, California
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Mateo landlords $1,500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $600 towards rent in San Mateo.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in San Mateo, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $3,023 and $3,695.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
