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

Discover affordable housing in West Chester where there are 6+ 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.

Hannum Gardens

601 Downingtown Pike, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380

Denney Reyburn Apartments

30 West Barnard Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19382

Mary Taylor House

326 N Walnut St, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380

Breaking New Ground

103 Garfield Ave, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380

Apartments for Modern Living

201 S Matlack St, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19382

222 N Church and Locust, Maple, Spruce Cts

222 N Church St, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In West 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 West Chester, Pennsylvania Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve West 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 programs for West Chester, Pennsylvania.

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

How many renters live in West Chester, Pennsylvania?

The City of West Chester has 19,016 people living in 6,996 households.

There are 9,271 renters living in 4,694 renter households in this City. Renters make up 48.75 percent of the population living in West Chester.

What is the rental market like in West Chester, Pennsylvania?

There are an estimated 7,462 housing units in the West Chester area. Of these, 4,963 units are rental homes, making up 67 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in West Chester, Pennsylvania, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in West Chester?

The rental vacancy rate in West Chester is 3 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 West Chester for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in West Chester
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
232 1,625 1,894 481 408
Occupied Rental Units by Size in West Chester

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

Among renter households in this market, 47 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 29 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 West 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 West Chester, Pennsylvania

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in West 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 154 66 percent
One BR 955 59 percent
Two BR 641 34 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in West Chester, Pennsylvania

How many affordable rental units are in West Chester?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 154
Public Housing 108
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 95
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 1
Tracked Units by Federal Program in West Chester, Pennsylvania

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

Income Based Apartments in West Chester, Pennsylvania

West Chester features 282 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 West Chester, Pennsylvania

There are 73 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in West Chester.

Housing Choice Vouchers in West Chester, Pennsylvania

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay West Chester landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in West Chester.

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

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.