What HUD offices serve Columbia Heights, Minnesota?
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 Minnesota Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Columbia Heights.
How many renters live in Columbia Heights, Minnesota?
The City of Columbia Heights has 21,822 people living in 8,747 households.
There are 6,874 renters living in 2,975 renter households in this City. Renters make up 31.5 percent of the population living in Columbia Heights.
What is the rental market like in Columbia Heights, Minnesota?
There are an estimated 9,216 housing units in the Columbia Heights area. Of these, 3,179 units are rental homes, making up 34 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Columbia Heights?
The rental vacancy rate in Columbia Heights 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 Columbia Heights for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Columbia Heights
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 236 | 1,227 | 700 | 713 | 92 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Columbia Heights
A large number of apartments in Columbia Heights 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 Columbia Heights are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 52 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 36 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 Columbia Heights
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,174 to $2,478. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $1,174 |
| One BR | $1,327 |
| Two BR | $1,622 |
| Three BR | $2,188 |
| Four BR | $2,478 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Columbia Heights, Minnesota
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Columbia Heights?
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 | 213 | 90 percent |
| One BR | 1,018 | 83 percent |
| Two BR | 565 | 81 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Columbia Heights, Minnesota
How many affordable rental units are in Columbia Heights?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Columbia Heights, Minnesota including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 355 |
| Public Housing | 4 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 92 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 39 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Columbia Heights, Minnesota
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Columbia Heights, Minnesota
Columbia Heights features 247 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 Columbia Heights, Minnesota
There are 213 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Columbia Heights.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Columbia Heights, Minnesota
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Columbia Heights landlords $900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Columbia Heights.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Columbia Heights, Minnesota for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,460 and $1,784.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
