What HUD offices serve Port Townsend, Washington?
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 Washington Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Port Townsend.
How many renters live in Port Townsend, Washington?
The City of Port Townsend has 10,161 people living in 5,371 households.
There are 2,848 renters living in 1,562 renter households in this City. Renters make up 28.03 percent of the population living in Port Townsend.
What is the rental market like in Port Townsend, Washington?
There are an estimated 6,023 housing units in the Port Townsend area. Of these, 1,582 units are rental homes, making up 26 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Port Townsend, Washington, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Port Townsend?
The rental vacancy rate in Port Townsend is 1 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 Port Townsend for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Port Townsend
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 116 | 596 | 442 | 314 | 83 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Port Townsend
A large number of apartments in Port Townsend 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 Port Townsend are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 43 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 Port Townsend
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,052 to $2,058. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $1,052 |
| One BR | $1,080 |
| Two BR | $1,213 |
| Three BR | $1,709 |
| Four BR | $2,058 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Port Townsend, Washington
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Port Townsend?
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 | 31 | 27 percent |
| One BR | 381 | 64 percent |
| Two BR | 198 | 45 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Port Townsend, Washington
How many affordable rental units are in Port Townsend?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Port Townsend, Washington including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 243 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 78 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 194 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Port Townsend, Washington
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Port Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend 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 Port Townsend, Washington
There are 222 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Port Townsend.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Port Townsend, Washington
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Port Townsend landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Port Townsend.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Port Townsend, Washington for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,092 and $1,334.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
