What HUD offices serve DeSoto County, Mississippi?
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 Mississippi Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near DeSoto County.
How many renters live in DeSoto County, Mississippi?
The County of DeSoto County has 191,723 people living in 69,746 households.
There are 36,879 renters living in 13,794 renter households in this County. Renters make up 19.24 percent of the population living in DeSoto County.
What is the rental market like in DeSoto County, Mississippi?
There are an estimated 72,572 housing units in the DeSoto County area. Of these, 18,097 units are rental homes, making up 25 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in DeSoto County, Mississippi, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in DeSoto County?
The rental vacancy rate in DeSoto County is 10 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 DeSoto County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in DeSoto County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 398 | 1,762 | 5,003 | 7,006 | 1,724 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in DeSoto County
A large number of apartments in DeSoto County 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 DeSoto County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 38 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 DeSoto County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,031 to $1,995. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $1,031 |
| One BR | $1,146 |
| Two BR | $1,298 |
| Three BR | $1,711 |
| Four BR | $1,995 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in DeSoto County, Mississippi
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in DeSoto County?
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 | 64 | 16 percent |
| One BR | 1,029 | 58 percent |
| Two BR | 3,220 | 64 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in DeSoto County, Mississippi
How many affordable rental units are in DeSoto County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in DeSoto County, Mississippi including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 1,433 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 549 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 41 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 300 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in DeSoto County, Mississippi
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in DeSoto County, Mississippi
DeSoto County features 607 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 DeSoto County, Mississippi
There are 1,878 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in DeSoto County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in DeSoto County, Mississippi
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay DeSoto County landlords $1,400 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in DeSoto County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in DeSoto County, Mississippi for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,168 and $1,428.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
