Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Salem, MA

Discover affordable housing in Salem where there are 15+ housing opportunities based on income and household needs like accessible units for seniors or persons with disabilities. Find and apply to these low income apartments now.

Salem Heights

12 Pope St., Salem, Massachusetts 01970

Fairweather Apartments - Salem

40 R Highland Avenue , Salem, Massachusetts 01970

North Shore CDC

Scattered Sites, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

Boston Street Crossing

43 Boston Street, Salem, Massachusetts 75205

Fairweather Apartments

40 R Highland Avenue , Salem, Massachusetts 19602

Loring Towers

1000 Loring Ave , Salem, Massachusetts 01970

Harbor Crossing

15-17 Harbor Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

Pequot Highlands

12 1st St, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

The Lifebridge Campus

56 Margin St, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

Salem Point Rental

1 Prince Street Pl, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

H.E.S. House

403 Essex Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

St Joseph and Aposs Redevelopment (Rental)

135 Lafayette St, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

Federal Elderly Public Housing

5 Barton Sq, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

Point Coop

64 Harbor St, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

117 Lafayette

117 Lafayette St, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

Open Until Further Notice

Reported On February 23rd, 2024 by Nathan Brunet

calendar_today Opened: Jan 6
Open Until Further Notice

Reported On February 23rd, 2024 by Nathan Brunet

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Salem, Massachusetts
$53.54/hour
$38.54 (+257%) more than Massachusetts minimum wage and $46.29 (+639%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Salem, Massachusetts Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Salem, Massachusetts?

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.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Salem, Massachusetts.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Moving to Work programs for Salem, Massachusetts.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for Salem, Massachusetts.

Go to the Massachusetts Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Salem.

How many renters live in Salem, Massachusetts?

The City of Salem has 44,541 people living in 19,887 households.

There are 19,813 renters living in 9,810 renter households in this City. Renters make up 44.48 percent of the population living in Salem.

What is the rental market like in Salem, Massachusetts?

There are an estimated 21,086 housing units in the Salem area. Of these, 10,083 units are rental homes, making up 48 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Salem, Massachusetts, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Salem?

The rental vacancy rate in Salem is 2 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 Salem for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Salem
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
771 3,247 3,757 1,774 192
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Salem

A large number of apartments in Salem 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 Salem are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 52 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 31 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 Salem

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,212 to $3,765. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $2,212
One BR $2,377
Two BR $2,827
Three BR $3,418
Four BR $3,765
2024 Fair Market Rents in Salem, Massachusetts

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Salem?

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 493 64 percent
One BR 1,662 51 percent
Two BR 1,410 38 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Salem, Massachusetts

How many affordable rental units are in Salem?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Salem, Massachusetts including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,288
Public Housing 39
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 145
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 21
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Salem, Massachusetts

Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.

Income Based Apartments in Salem, Massachusetts

Salem features 866 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 Salem, Massachusetts

There are 560 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Salem.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Salem, Massachusetts

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Salem landlords $1,000 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Salem.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Salem, Massachusetts for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,544 and $3,110.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.