What HUD offices serve San Diego 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.
Go to the California Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near San Diego County.
How many renters live in San Diego County, California?
The County of San Diego County has 3,276,208 people living in 1,172,343 households.
There are 1,361,600 renters living in 533,045 renter households in this County. Renters make up 41.56 percent of the population living in San Diego County.
What is the rental market like in San Diego County, California?
There are an estimated 1,247,279 housing units in the San Diego County area. Of these, 557,341 units are rental homes, making up 45 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in San Diego County, California, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in San Diego County?
The rental vacancy rate in San Diego 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 San Diego County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Diego County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43,339 | 132,076 | 222,387 | 97,828 | 30,927 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Diego County
A large number of apartments in San Diego 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 San Diego County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 56 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 29 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 San Diego County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,062 to $4,638. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $2,062 |
| One BR | $2,248 |
| Two BR | $2,833 |
| Three BR | $3,819 |
| Four BR | $4,638 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in San Diego County, California
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in San Diego 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 | 17,696 | 41 percent |
| One BR | 41,710 | 32 percent |
| Two BR | 36,223 | 16 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in San Diego County, California
How many affordable rental units are in San Diego County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in San Diego County, California including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 29,326 |
| Public Housing | 310 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 8,260 |
| Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance | 24 |
| Section 236 Rental Assistance | 80 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 588 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 152 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 100 |
| USDA Section 514 Farm Labor Housing | 38 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in San Diego County, California
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in San Diego County, California
San Diego County features 10,876 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 San Diego County, California
There are 24,458 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Diego County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in San Diego County, California
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Diego County landlords $900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in San Diego County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in San Diego County, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,550 and $3,116.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
