Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Washington, DC

Discover affordable housing in Washington where there are 315+ 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.

Harlow Navy Yard

1100 2nd Place Southeast, Washington, District Of Columbia 20003

1330 7th Street Apartments

1330 7th St NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20001

Parkfair Apartments

1611 Park Rd NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20010

Webster Gardens

124 Webster St NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20011

The Summit at Saint Martins

116 T St NE, Washington, District Of Columbia 20002

Highland Terrace Apartments

852 Barnaby Street SE, Washington, District Of Columbia 20032

Victory Square Senior Apartments

600 Barnes St NE, Washington, District Of Columbia 20019

Victory Heights

1369 Irving St NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20010

Faircliff Plaza West

1400 Euclid St NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20009

Wheeler Terrace Apartments

1217 Valley Ave SE, Washington, District Of Columbia 20032

Oxford Manor

2607 Bowen Rd SE, Washington, District Of Columbia 20020

Fort Stevens Place

1339 Fort Stevens Dr NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20011

400 M Street

400 M St SE , Washington, District Of Columbia 20003

Longfellow Arms Apartments

506 Longfellow St NW , Washington, District Of Columbia 20011

Hubbard Place ( Aka Cavalier Apartments )

3500 14th St NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20010

King Towers

1220 12th St NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20005

Arthur Capper Senior I Apartments

900 5th St SE, Washington, District Of Columbia 20003

St Dennis Apartments

1636 Kenyon St NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20010

Benning Heights

4806 Alabama Ave SE, Washington, District Of Columbia 20019

The Baldwin

1300 H Street Northeast, Washington, District Of Columbia 20002

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Washington, District Of Columbia
$38.73/hour
$21.73 (+128%) more than District Of Columbia minimum wage and $31.48 (+434%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Washington, District Of Columbia Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Washington, District Of Columbia?

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, Homeownership Voucher, Family Self-Sufficiency, Moving to Work, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs for Washington, District Of Columbia.

Go to the District Of Columbia Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Washington.

How many renters live in Washington, District Of Columbia?

The City of Washington has 671,803 people living in 326,970 households.

There are 351,648 renters living in 192,850 renter households in this City. Renters make up 52.34 percent of the population living in Washington.

What is the rental market like in Washington, District Of Columbia?

There are an estimated 360,862 housing units in the Washington area. Of these, 210,072 units are rental homes, making up 58 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Washington, District Of Columbia, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Washington?

The rental vacancy rate in Washington is 6 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 Washington for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Washington
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
29,620 79,272 59,859 16,666 5,571
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Washington

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

Among renter households in this market, 45 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 23 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 many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Washington?

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 11,276 38 percent
One BR 26,728 34 percent
Two BR 20,352 34 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Washington, District Of Columbia

How many affordable rental units are in Washington?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Washington, District Of Columbia including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 24,936
Public Housing 7,870
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 9,754
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 132
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 409
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 134
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Washington, District Of Columbia

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

Income Based Apartments in Washington, District Of Columbia

Washington features 19,146 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 Washington, District Of Columbia

There are 17,181 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Washington.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Washington, District Of Columbia

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Washington landlords $1,300 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Washington.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Washington, District Of Columbia for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,841 and $2,250.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.