Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Boulder, CO

Discover affordable housing in Boulder where there are 41+ 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 Boulder, Colorado
$41.99/hour
$27.57 (+191%) more than Colorado minimum wage and $34.74 (+479%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Boulder, Colorado Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Boulder, Colorado?

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, Moving to Work programs for Boulder, Colorado.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Boulder, Colorado.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Boulder, Colorado.

Go to the Colorado Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Boulder.

How many renters live in Boulder, Colorado?

The City of Boulder has 105,482 people living in 44,369 households.

There are 48,839 renters living in 23,802 renter households in this City. Renters make up 46.3 percent of the population living in Boulder.

What is the rental market like in Boulder, Colorado?

There are an estimated 46,551 housing units in the Boulder area. Of these, 24,528 units are rental homes, making up 53 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Boulder, Colorado, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Boulder?

The rental vacancy rate in Boulder 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 Boulder for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Boulder
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,670 6,475 8,434 3,789 1,918
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Boulder

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

Among renter households in this market, 69 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 Boulder

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,585 to $3,394. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,585
One BR $1,823
Two BR $2,217
Three BR $2,898
Four BR $3,394
2024 Fair Market Rents in Boulder, Colorado

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

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 1,133 68 percent
One BR 3,005 46 percent
Two BR 1,779 21 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Boulder, Colorado

How many affordable rental units are in Boulder?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Boulder, Colorado including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,543
Public Housing 14
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 293
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 8
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Boulder, Colorado

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

Income Based Apartments in Boulder, Colorado

Boulder features 510 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 Boulder, Colorado

There are 1,684 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Boulder.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Boulder, Colorado

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

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Boulder, Colorado for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,995 and $2,439.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.