What HUD offices serve La Plata County, 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.
Go to the Colorado Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near La Plata County.
How many renters live in La Plata County, Colorado?
The County of La Plata County has 55,983 people living in 22,691 households.
There are 14,775 renters living in 6,655 renter households in this County. Renters make up 26.39 percent of the population living in La Plata County.
What is the rental market like in La Plata County, Colorado?
There are an estimated 28,233 housing units in the La Plata County area. Of these, 7,350 units are rental homes, making up 26 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in La Plata County, Colorado, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in La Plata County?
The rental vacancy rate in La Plata County is 8 percent. This is a higher than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are high it means that there are a lot of available units and rents tend to be lower.
How many rental units are in La Plata County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in La Plata County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 308 | 1,247 | 2,699 | 2,012 | 288 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in La Plata County
A large number of apartments in La Plata 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 La Plata County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 49 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 22 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 La Plata County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,241 to $2,763. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $1,241 |
| One BR | $1,402 |
| Two BR | $1,716 |
| Three BR | $2,123 |
| Four BR | $2,763 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in La Plata County, Colorado
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in La Plata 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 | 171 | 56 percent |
| One BR | 893 | 72 percent |
| Two BR | 1,594 | 59 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in La Plata County, Colorado
How many affordable rental units are in La Plata County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in La Plata County, Colorado including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 638 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 166 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 53 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 186 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in La Plata County, Colorado
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in La Plata County, Colorado
La Plata County features 405 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 La Plata County, Colorado
There are 435 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in La Plata County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in La Plata County, Colorado
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay La Plata County landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in La Plata County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in La Plata County, Colorado for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,544 and $1,888.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
