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Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Cook County, IL

Discover affordable housing in Cook County where there are 750+ 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.

auto_awesome Focus Results:
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
elderly Senior
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible
accessible_forward Disability

How To Identify Affordable Housing in Cook County, Illinois

Look for program and preference badges on affordable apartment listings. These badges can help you identify the types of low income housing each apartment offers and if you may be eligbile for rental assistance or reduced rents.

Badge Description
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
 Low income apartments with no or short waiting lists.
payment Subsidized
 Low income housing where the rent is subsidized and the renter pays only a portion of total rent.
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
 Apartments that accept Section 8 vouchers near you
elderly Senior
 Rental housing for seniors who are 55 (or sometimes 62) and older.
payment Income Based
 Affordable apartments where the rent paid is based on renter income.
accessibility Accessible
 Meets Accessibilty Requirements of the Fair Housing Act, the ADA, or HUD policy.
accessible_forward Disability
 Apartments for individuals or families with disabilities.
The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Cook County, Illinois
$32.46/hour
$18.46 (+132%) more than Illinois minimum wage and $25.21 (+348%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Cook County, Illinois Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Cook County, Illinois?

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.

Housing Authority of Cook County
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs for Cook County, Illinois.

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

How many renters live in Cook County, Illinois?

The County of Cook County has people living in households.

There are renters living in renter households in this County. Renters make up 36.25 percent of the population living in Cook County.

What is the rental market like in Cook County, Illinois?

There are an estimated housing units in the Cook County area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Cook County, Illinois, there are 1.05 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Cook County?

The rental vacancy rate in Cook County 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 Cook County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Cook County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
94,369 266,306 338,377 161,702 28,593
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Cook County

A large number of apartments in Cook County have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.

How Much Is Rent in Cook County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,399 to $2,583. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,399
One BR $1,507
Two BR $1,714
Three BR $2,182
Four BR $2,583
2024 Fair Market Rents in Cook County, Illinois

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Cook 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 63,165 67 percent
One BR 185,859 70 percent
Two BR 195,805 58 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Cook County, Illinois

How many affordable rental units are in Cook County?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Public Housing
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance
Section 236 Rental Assistance
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Cook County, Illinois

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

Income Based Apartments in Cook County, Illinois

Cook County features 65,934 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 Cook County, Illinois

There are 36,419 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Cook County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Cook County, Illinois

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Cook County landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Cook County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Cook County, Illinois for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,543 and $1,885.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.