How many renters live in Illinois?
The State of Illinois has 12,955 people living in 5,004 households.
There are 3,268 renters living in 1,143 renter households in this State. Renters make up 25.23 percent of the population living in Illinois.
What is the rental market like in Illinois?
There are an estimated 5,684 housing units in the Illinois area. Of these, 1,354 units are rental homes, making up 24 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Illinois, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Illinois?
The rental vacancy rate in Illinois is 13 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 Illinois for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Illinois
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 190 | 440 | 387 | 112 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Illinois
A large number of apartments in Illinois 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 Illinois are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 21 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 9 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 many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Illinois?
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 |
| One BR | 112 | 59 percent |
| Two BR | 348 | 79 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Illinois
How many affordable rental units are in Illinois?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Illinois including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 83 |
| Public Housing | 50 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 22 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 26 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 72 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Illinois
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Illinois
Illinois features 137,369 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 Illinois
There are 69,591 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Illinois.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Illinois
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Illinois landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Illinois.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Illinois for a two-bedroom apartment is between $726 and $888.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
