What HUD offices serve Whitefish, Montana?
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 Montana Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Whitefish.
How many renters live in Whitefish, Montana?
The City of Whitefish has 8,098 people living in 3,817 households.
There are 2,171 renters living in 1,425 renter households in this City. Renters make up 26.81 percent of the population living in Whitefish.
What is the rental market like in Whitefish, Montana?
There are an estimated 4,827 housing units in the Whitefish area. Of these, 1,583 units are rental homes, making up 33 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Whitefish, Montana, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Whitefish?
The rental vacancy rate in Whitefish 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 Whitefish for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Whitefish
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 433 | 628 | 184 | 155 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Whitefish
A large number of apartments in Whitefish 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 Whitefish are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 57 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 Whitefish
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $733 to $1,834. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $733 |
| One BR | $823 |
| Two BR | $1,081 |
| Three BR | $1,486 |
| Four BR | $1,834 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Whitefish, Montana
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Whitefish?
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 | 8 | 32 percent |
| One BR | 159 | 37 percent |
| Two BR | 170 | 27 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Whitefish, Montana
How many affordable rental units are in Whitefish?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Whitefish, Montana including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 98 |
| Public Housing | 50 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 30 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 77 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Whitefish, Montana
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Whitefish, Montana
Whitefish features 235 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 Whitefish, Montana
There are 25 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Whitefish.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Whitefish, Montana
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Whitefish landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Whitefish.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Whitefish, Montana for a two-bedroom apartment is between $973 and $1,189.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
