What HUD offices serve Mason 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.
Go to the Illinois Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Mason County.
How many renters live in Mason County, Illinois?
The County of Mason County has 13,074 people living in 5,788 households.
There are 2,496 renters living in 1,132 renter households in this County. Renters make up 19.09 percent of the population living in Mason County.
What is the rental market like in Mason County, Illinois?
There are an estimated 6,646 housing units in the Mason County area. Of these, 1,155 units are rental homes, making up 17 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Mason County, Illinois, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Mason County?
The rental vacancy rate in Mason County is 0 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 Mason County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Mason County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 238 | 462 | 263 | 115 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Mason County
A large number of apartments in Mason 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 Mason County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 35 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 21 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 Mason County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $553 to $1,245. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $553 |
| One BR | $647 |
| Two BR | $807 |
| Three BR | $1,067 |
| Four BR | $1,245 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Mason County, Illinois
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Mason 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 | 3 | 7 percent |
| One BR | 144 | 61 percent |
| Two BR | 230 | 50 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Mason County, Illinois
How many affordable rental units are in Mason County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Mason County, Illinois including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 97 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 26 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 60 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Mason County, Illinois
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Mason County, Illinois
Mason County features 110 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 Mason County, Illinois
There are 69 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Mason County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Mason County, Illinois
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Mason County landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Mason County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Mason County, Illinois for a two-bedroom apartment is between $726 and $888.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
