Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Evanston, IL

Discover affordable housing in Evanston where there are 13+ 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 Evanston, 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 Evanston, Illinois Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Evanston, 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.

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

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

How many renters live in Evanston, Illinois?

The City of Evanston has 75,538 people living in 33,257 households.

There are 26,157 renters living in 14,525 renter households in this City. Renters make up 34.63 percent of the population living in Evanston.

What is the rental market like in Evanston, Illinois?

There are an estimated 33,783 housing units in the Evanston area. Of these, 14,796 units are rental homes, making up 44 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Evanston, Illinois, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Evanston?

The rental vacancy rate in Evanston is 7 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 Evanston for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Evanston
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,061 4,756 5,110 2,108 504
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Evanston

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

Among renter households in this market, 46 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 29 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 Evanston

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 Evanston, Illinois

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Evanston?

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 573 54 percent
One BR 2,499 53 percent
Two BR 1,871 37 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Evanston, Illinois

How many affordable rental units are in Evanston?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 100
Public Housing 48
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 53
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 23
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 1
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Evanston, Illinois

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

Income Based Apartments in Evanston, Illinois

Evanston features 466 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 Evanston, Illinois

There are 82 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Evanston.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Evanston, Illinois

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Evanston landlords $1,000 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Evanston.

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

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.