What HUD offices serve Suwannee 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.
Go to the Florida Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Suwannee County.
How many renters live in Suwannee County, Florida?
The County of Suwannee County has 43,881 people living in 15,453 households.
There are 10,018 renters living in 3,827 renter households in this County. Renters make up 22.83 percent of the population living in Suwannee County.
What is the rental market like in Suwannee County, Florida?
There are an estimated 18,948 housing units in the Suwannee County area. Of these, 4,122 units are rental homes, making up 22 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Suwannee County, Florida, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Suwannee County?
The rental vacancy rate in Suwannee County 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 Suwannee County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Suwannee County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 227 | 233 | 1,536 | 1,777 | 54 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Suwannee County
A large number of apartments in Suwannee 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 Suwannee County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 29 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 20 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 Suwannee County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $708 to $1,223. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $708 |
| One BR | $713 |
| Two BR | $916 |
| Three BR | $1,108 |
| Four BR | $1,223 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Suwannee County, Florida
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Suwannee 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 | 23 | 10 percent |
| One BR | 114 | 49 percent |
| Two BR | 968 | 63 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Suwannee County, Florida
How many affordable rental units are in Suwannee County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Suwannee County, Florida including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 221 |
| Public Housing | 123 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 162 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 167 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Suwannee County, Florida
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Suwannee County, Florida
Suwannee County features 292 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 Suwannee County, Florida
There are 146 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Suwannee County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Suwannee County, Florida
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Suwannee County landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Suwannee County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Suwannee County, Florida for a two-bedroom apartment is between $824 and $1,008.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
