What HUD offices serve San Luis Obispo, 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 Luis Obispo.
How many renters live in San Luis Obispo, California?
The City of San Luis Obispo has 47,529 people living in 19,254 households.
There are 28,829 renters living in 11,934 renter households in this City. Renters make up 60.66 percent of the population living in San Luis Obispo.
What is the rental market like in San Luis Obispo, California?
There are an estimated 20,969 housing units in the San Luis Obispo area. Of these, 12,563 units are rental homes, making up 60 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in San Luis Obispo, California, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in San Luis Obispo?
The rental vacancy rate in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Luis Obispo
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,406 | 2,406 | 4,400 | 2,076 | 1,225 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Luis Obispo
A large number of apartments in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 64 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 45 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 Luis Obispo
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,541 to $3,465. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $1,541 |
| One BR | $1,731 |
| Two BR | $2,274 |
| Three BR | $3,045 |
| Four BR | $3,465 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in San Luis Obispo, California
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in San Luis Obispo?
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 | 1,079 | 77 percent |
| One BR | 1,250 | 52 percent |
| Two BR | 721 | 16 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in San Luis Obispo, California
How many affordable rental units are in San Luis Obispo?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in San Luis Obispo, California including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 547 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 120 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 31 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in San Luis Obispo, California
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo features 307 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 Luis Obispo, California
There are 574 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Luis Obispo.
Housing Choice Vouchers in San Luis Obispo, California
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Luis Obispo landlords $900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in San Luis Obispo.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in San Luis Obispo, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,047 and $2,501.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
