Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Imperial County, CA

Discover affordable housing in Imperial County where there are 96+ 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.

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Imperial County, California
$24.36/hour
$8.36 (+52%) more than California minimum wage and $17.11 (+236%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Imperial County, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Imperial County, California?

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 Imperial County, California.

Go to the California Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Imperial County.

How many renters live in Imperial County, California?

The County of Imperial County has 178,713 people living in 50,877 households.

There are 66,702 renters living in 21,007 renter households in this County. Renters make up 37.32 percent of the population living in Imperial County.

What is the rental market like in Imperial County, California?

There are an estimated 57,654 housing units in the Imperial County area. Of these, 21,362 units are rental homes, making up 37 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Imperial County, California, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Imperial County?

The rental vacancy rate in Imperial County 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 Imperial County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Imperial County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,476 2,634 8,039 6,754 1,655
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Imperial County

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

Among renter households in this market, 49 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 27 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 Imperial County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $872 to $2,138. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $872
One BR $1,001
Two BR $1,286
Three BR $1,771
Four BR $2,138
2024 Fair Market Rents in Imperial County, California

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

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 1,207 82 percent
One BR 2,142 81 percent
Two BR 6,140 76 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Imperial County, California

How many affordable rental units are in Imperial County?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Imperial County, California including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 3,423
Public Housing 767
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 377
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 38
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 1,064
USDA Section 514 Farm Labor Housing 612
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Imperial County, California

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

Income Based Apartments in Imperial County, California

Imperial County features 2,503 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 Imperial County, California

There are 2,830 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Imperial County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Imperial County, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Imperial County landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Imperial County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Imperial County, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,157 and $1,415.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.