Cook County, Illinois Affordable Housing

Waiting Lists in Cook County, Illinois

There are no open Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists in Cook County. Go to the Illinois Section 8 Waiting Lists page for openings near Cook County.

Finding Affordable Housing in Cook County, Illinois

There are 37,682 low-income apartments in Cook County that offer reduced rents to eligible households. Low-income rents in Cook County, Illinois can range from $555 to $2,525 depending on the number of bedrooms.

Rental assistance programs support 67,838 low-income homes in Cook County where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2023, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $372 towards rent each month.

Ada S Dennison-McKinley Apartments

661 E 69th St
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
1 BR
62+

Kenneth Campbell Apartments

6360 S Minerva Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
Studio-1 BR
62+

Judge Green Apartments

4030 S Lake Park Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
Studio-1 BR

Judge Slater Apartments

740 E 43rd St
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
2 BR

Maudelle Brown Bousfield Apartments

4949 S Cottage Grove Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
1 BR
62+

Renaissance North

551 W North Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Domain Lofts

900 N Kingsbury St
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Lake Park Crescent

1061 E 41st Pl
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

Gwendolyn Place

109 E 43st St
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
1-4 BR
Market Rate

Hilliard Homes - Senior

2111 S Clark St
Chicago, Illinois
Call For Rent
1 BR
62+
Showing Results 81-90

Affordable rent data last confirmed on March 8th, 2023. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Affordable Housing In Cook County

View affordable apartments and waiting lists in cities near Cook County

City Apartments
Chicago, IL Affordable Housing programs support 764 apartment communities in Chicago.
Elgin, IL Affordable Housing programs support 14 apartment communities in Elgin.
Evanston, IL Affordable Housing programs support 12 apartment communities in Evanston.
Palatine, IL Affordable Housing programs support 7 apartment communities in Palatine.
Harvey, IL Affordable Housing programs support 7 apartment communities in Harvey.

Public Housing Agencies Serving 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 Programs
Housing Authority of Cook County Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV)
Go to the Illinois Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Cook County.

Cook County, Illinois Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Cook County, Illinois

Cook County features 67,838 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 37,682 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 $1,296 and $1,584.

2023 Cook County, Illinois Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Studio One BR Two BR Three BR Four BR
Cook County, Illinois Fair Market Rent $1,158 $1,255 $1,440 $1,827 $2,172
Cook County, Illinois Payment Standard Range $1,042 to $1,274 $1,130 to $1,381 $1,296 to $1,584 $1,644 to $2,010 $1,955 to $2,389

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Cook County, IL Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 985
Total Low Income Apartments 106,928
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 67,838
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 43%
Average Renter Household Size 2.46
Average Household Size 2.65
Median Household Income $55,251 ±$327
Median Rent $980 ±$3
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 48.86% ± 0.44pp
Total Population 5,236,393

Population and Household Demographics

Cook County is a county in Illinois with a population of 5,236,393. There are 1,942,959 households in the county with an average household size of 2.65 persons. 43% of households in Cook County are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Cook County

The median gross income for households in Cook County is $55,251 a year, or $4,604 a month. The median rent for the county is $980 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Cook County, a household making less than $3,267 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 48.86% of households who rent are overburdened in Cook County.

Area Median Income In Cook County

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

In Cook County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $107,800

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Cook County

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Cook County

1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Person 8 Person
30% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 30% of the Cook County AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.
$21,900 $25,000 $28,150 $31,250 $33,750 $37,190 $41,910 $46,630
50% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 50% of the Cook County AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.
$36,500 $41,700 $46,900 $52,100 $56,300 $60,450 $64,650 $68,800
80% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 80% of the Cook County AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.
$58,350 $66,700 $75,050 $83,350 $90,050 $96,700 $103,400 $110,050