Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Chester, PA

Discover affordable housing in Chester where there are 39+ 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.

Birchwood at Pentecostal Square

325 Pusey St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Jefferis Square Apartments

1133 Hyatt Street, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Chester Apartments

1225 W 9th St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Wellington Ridge

3000 West 13th Street, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Daniel Scott Commons

1437 Congress St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Benjamin Banneker Plaza

2101 W 7th St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Robert Stinson Towers

1501 Arbor Dr, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Palmerhouse

1420 Esrey St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Fifth Street Apartments

1139 Hyatt St , Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Chatham Terrace Apartments

632 Central Ave, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Matopos Hills

925 John St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Gateway Apartments

1115 Avenue of the States, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Edgemont Senior Apartments

1001 Avenue Of The States, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

The Residences at Chestnut Ridge

2700 Chestnut St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Park Row Place

421 W 24th St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Crosby Square Apartments

1300 Crosby St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Madison Street - Phase II

1111 Upland St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Chatham Estates

1701 W 7th St , Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Delaware County Fairgrounds

12th St And Engle St, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

Delaware County Fairgrounds II

12th and Engle Sts, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013

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 Chester, Pennsylvania
$32.90/hour
$25.65 (+354%) more than Pennsylvania minimum wage and $25.65 (+354%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Chester, Pennsylvania Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Chester, Pennsylvania?

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, Homeownership Voucher, Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs for Chester, Pennsylvania.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Chester, Pennsylvania.

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

How many renters live in Chester, Pennsylvania?

The City of Chester has 33,048 people living in 12,471 households.

There are 19,146 renters living in 7,728 renter households in this City. Renters make up 57.93 percent of the population living in Chester.

What is the rental market like in Chester, Pennsylvania?

There are an estimated 14,544 housing units in the Chester area. Of these, 8,058 units are rental homes, making up 55 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Chester, Pennsylvania, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Chester?

The rental vacancy rate in Chester is 4 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 Chester for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Chester
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
283 1,762 2,063 3,227 314
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Chester

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

Among renter households in this market, 60 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 Chester

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,303 to $2,422. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,303
One BR $1,451
Two BR $1,737
Three BR $2,100
Four BR $2,422
2024 Fair Market Rents in Chester, Pennsylvania

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

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 257 91 percent
One BR 1,734 98 percent
Two BR 1,947 94 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Chester, Pennsylvania

How many affordable rental units are in Chester?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,147
Public Housing 794
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 573
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Chester, Pennsylvania

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

Income Based Apartments in Chester, Pennsylvania

Chester features 1,473 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 Chester, Pennsylvania

There are 632 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Chester.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Chester, Pennsylvania

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Chester landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Chester.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Chester, Pennsylvania for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,563 and $1,911.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.