Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Seattle, WA

Discover affordable housing in Seattle where there are 393+ 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.

AVA Queen Anne

330 3rd Ave W, Seattle, Washington 98119

Esperanza Apartments

6940 37th Ave. S. , Seattle, Washington 98118

Cedar Park Apartments

12740 30th Avenue NE , Seattle, Washington 98125

Washington Terrace

609 Yesler Way, Seattle, Washington 98104

An Lac Apartments

1253 South Jackson Street, Seattle, Washington 98144

Columbia City Station Apartments

4484 Martin Luther King Jr Way S, Seattle, Washington 98108

The Lowman Building

107 Cherry St, Seattle, Washington 98104

La Salle Building

85 Pike St #500, Seattle, Washington 98101

Urban League Village Apartments

2300 S Massachusetts St, Seattle, Washington 98144

Samaki Commons

3900 S Kenyon St, Seattle, Washington 98118

Hiawatha Artist Lofts

843 Hiawatha Place S, Seattle, Washington 98144

Artspace Mt Baker Lofts

2915 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, Washington 98144

Sandford Hildebrandt Towers I & II

747 N 135th St, Seattle, Washington 98133

Hirabayashi Place

424 South Main Street, Seattle, Washington 98104

Plaza Roberto Maestas

1650 S Roberto Maestas Festival St, Seattle, Washington 98144

Mercy Othello Plaza Apartments

6940 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Seattle, Washington 98118

Western Avenue Senior Housing

1901 Western Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101

Mount Baker Village

2900 South McClellan Street, Seattle, Washington 98144

Compass Broadview

147 North 132nd Street, Seattle, Washington 98133

The Station at Othello Park

4219 South Othello Street, Seattle, Washington 98118

calendar_today Opened: Jan 17
Open Until Further Notice

Reported On January 17th, 2024 by Nathan Brunet

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Seattle, Washington
$50.09/hour
$33.81 (+208%) more than Washington minimum wage and $42.84 (+591%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Seattle, Washington Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Seattle, 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.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Moving to Work programs for Seattle, Washington.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Moving to Work programs for Seattle, Washington.

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

How many renters live in Seattle, Washington?

The City of Seattle has 749,267 people living in 367,119 households.

There are 340,384 renters living in 206,391 renter households in this City. Renters make up 45.43 percent of the population living in Seattle.

What is the rental market like in Seattle, Washington?

There are an estimated 397,728 housing units in the Seattle area. Of these, 223,008 units are rental homes, making up 56 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Seattle, Washington, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Seattle?

The rental vacancy rate in Seattle is 6 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 Seattle for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Seattle
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
49,666 75,711 55,234 18,356 4,696
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Seattle

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

Among renter households in this market, 44 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 21 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 Seattle

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,211 to $4,080. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $2,211
One BR $2,269
Two BR $2,645
Three BR $3,510
Four BR $4,080
2024 Fair Market Rents in Seattle, Washington

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

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 23,071 46 percent
One BR 23,088 30 percent
Two BR 10,454 19 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Seattle, Washington

How many affordable rental units are in Seattle?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 25,096
Public Housing 5,252
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 2,695
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 113
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 489
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 72
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Seattle, Washington

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

Income Based Apartments in Seattle, Washington

Seattle features 9,875 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 Seattle, Washington

There are 19,681 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Seattle.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Seattle, Washington

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

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Seattle, Washington for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,381 and $2,910.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.