What HUD offices serve Meridian, 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 Meridian.
How many renters live in Meridian, Mississippi?
The City of Meridian has 34,990 people living in 14,774 households.
There are 18,958 renters living in 7,987 renter households in this City. Renters make up 54.18 percent of the population living in Meridian.
What is the rental market like in Meridian, Mississippi?
There are an estimated 17,814 housing units in the Meridian area. Of these, 8,680 units are rental homes, making up 49 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Meridian, Mississippi, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Meridian?
The rental vacancy rate in Meridian 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 Meridian for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Meridian
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 593 | 1,510 | 2,770 | 2,407 | 655 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Meridian
A large number of apartments in Meridian 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 Meridian are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 50 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 30 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 Meridian
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $803 to $1,385. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $803 |
| One BR | $809 |
| Two BR | $955 |
| Three BR | $1,255 |
| Four BR | $1,385 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Meridian, Mississippi
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Meridian?
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 | 335 | 56 percent |
| One BR | 989 | 65 percent |
| Two BR | 1,838 | 66 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Meridian, Mississippi
How many affordable rental units are in Meridian?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Meridian, Mississippi including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 940 |
| Public Housing | 1,052 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 575 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 31 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 17 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 48 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Meridian, Mississippi
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian features 2,016 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 Meridian, Mississippi
There are 333 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Meridian.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Meridian, Mississippi
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Meridian landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Meridian.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Meridian, Mississippi for a two-bedroom apartment is between $860 and $1,051.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
