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

Discover affordable housing in Sacramento County where there are 261+ 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 Sacramento County, California
$39.24/hour
$23.24 (+145%) more than California minimum wage and $31.99 (+441%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Sacramento County, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Sacramento 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 Sacramento County, California.

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

How many renters live in Sacramento County, California?

The County of Sacramento County has 1,584,169 people living in 572,744 households.

There are 600,913 renters living in 236,030 renter households in this County. Renters make up 37.93 percent of the population living in Sacramento County.

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

There are an estimated 599,343 housing units in the Sacramento County area. Of these, 248,163 units are rental homes, making up 41 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Sacramento County, California, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Sacramento County?

The rental vacancy rate in Sacramento County is 4 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 Sacramento County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Sacramento County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
16,354 52,676 89,486 54,869 19,213
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Sacramento County

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

Among renter households in this market, 55 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 28 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 Sacramento County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,543 to $3,321. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,543
One BR $1,666
Two BR $2,072
Three BR $2,884
Four BR $3,321
2024 Fair Market Rents in Sacramento County, California

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Sacramento 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 9,549 58 percent
One BR 31,601 60 percent
Two BR 31,674 35 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Sacramento County, California

How many affordable rental units are in Sacramento County?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 21,669
Public Housing 1,876
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 4,443
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 6
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 124
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 59
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Sacramento County, California

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

Income Based Apartments in Sacramento County, California

Sacramento County features 8,162 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 Sacramento County, California

There are 18,646 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Sacramento County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Sacramento County, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Sacramento County landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Sacramento County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Sacramento County, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,865 and $2,279.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.