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

Discover affordable housing in Merced County where there are 53+ 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.

Magnolia Garden

9760 Gordon Ave., Delhi, California 95315

Laurel Glen

777 Loughborough Dr, Merced, California 95348

Almond Garden Family

16240 W. Delhi Ave., Delhi, California 95315

Harvest Garden Apartments

1429 Nut Tree, Livingston, California 95334

MacArthur Apartments

1130 F Street, Los Banos, California 93635

Kings Crossing

1191 Willow St, Atwater, California

Los Banos Apartments

44 W I St, Los Banos, California 93635

Almond Garden Elderly Apartments

16200 Delhi Ave, Delhi, California 95315

Overland Court

417 Rockport Dr, Los Banos, California 93635

Gustine Gardens

394 Wallis Ave., Gustine, California

Gateway Terrace

410 Lesher Dr., Merced, California 95341

Palos Verde Apartments

21797 Reynolds Ave, Dos Palos, California 93620

Casa Del Sol

9370 Bigler Dr, Planada, California 95365

Merced Golden Manor

338 T St, Merced, California 95341

Merced Commons I

290 Q St, Merced, California 95341

VIntage West Apartments

1000 Front Street, Livingston, California 95334

Alamar Apartments I & II

218 S Canal St, Merced, California 95341

Meredith Manor Apartments

385 Meredith Ave, Gustine, California 95322

Dos Palos Apartments

21100 State Highway 33, Dos Palos, California 93620

The Retreat at Merced

1137 B St., Merced, California 95341

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Merced County, California
$26.89/hour
$10.89 (+68%) more than California minimum wage and $19.64 (+271%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Merced County, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Merced 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, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs for Merced County, California.

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

How many renters live in Merced County, California?

The County of Merced County has 290,014 people living in 87,830 households.

There are 118,755 renters living in 36,461 renter households in this County. Renters make up 40.95 percent of the population living in Merced County.

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

There are an estimated 87,895 housing units in the Merced County area. Of these, 39,920 units are rental homes, making up 45 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Merced County, California, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Merced County?

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

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Merced County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
2,082 4,266 10,839 14,250 4,572
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Merced County

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

Among renter households in this market, 45 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 24 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 Merced County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $994 to $2,410. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $994
One BR $1,159
Two BR $1,420
Three BR $1,995
Four BR $2,410
2024 Fair Market Rents in Merced County, California

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Merced 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 1,490 72 percent
One BR 3,278 77 percent
Two BR 8,293 77 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Merced County, California

How many affordable rental units are in Merced County?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 2,164
Public Housing 421
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 328
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 593
USDA Section 514 Farm Labor Housing 228
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Merced County, California

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

Income Based Apartments in Merced County, California

Merced County features 1,422 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 Merced County, California

There are 1,715 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Merced County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Merced County, California

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

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Merced County, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,278 and $1,562.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.