Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Marion County, FL

Discover affordable housing in Marion County where there are 26+ 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 Marion County, Florida
$23.98/hour
$11.98 (+100%) more than Florida minimum wage and $16.73 (+231%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Marion County, Florida Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Marion County, Florida?

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, Public Housing Homeownership, Family Self-Sufficiency, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Homeownership programs for Marion County, Florida.

Go to the Florida Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Marion County.

How many renters live in Marion County, Florida?

The County of Marion County has 396,415 people living in 163,513 households.

There are 91,894 renters living in 35,153 renter households in this County. Renters make up 23.18 percent of the population living in Marion County.

What is the rental market like in Marion County, Florida?

There are an estimated 187,971 housing units in the Marion County area. Of these, 40,469 units are rental homes, making up 22 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Marion County, Florida, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Marion County?

The rental vacancy rate in Marion County is 11 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 Marion County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Marion County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,009 4,226 16,595 11,560 1,763
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Marion County

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

Among renter households in this market, 49 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 27 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 Marion County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $949 to $1,768. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $949
One BR $1,043
Two BR $1,266
Three BR $1,619
Four BR $1,768
2024 Fair Market Rents in Marion County, Florida

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Marion 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 408 40 percent
One BR 3,046 72 percent
Two BR 9,779 59 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Marion County, Florida

How many affordable rental units are in Marion County?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Marion County, Florida including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 2,136
Public Housing 186
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 743
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 136
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 1
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 298
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Marion County, Florida

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

Income Based Apartments in Marion County, Florida

Marion County features 1,358 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 Marion County, Florida

There are 1,058 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Marion County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Marion County, Florida

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Marion County landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Marion County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Marion County, Florida for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,139 and $1,393.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.