Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Bloomington, IN

Discover affordable housing in Bloomington where there are 34+ 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.

calendar_today Opened: Jul 14
Open Until Further Notice

Reported On January 11th, 2024 by Ayat Elkarib

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Bloomington, Indiana
$21.33/hour
$14.08 (+194%) more than Indiana minimum wage and $14.08 (+194%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Bloomington, Indiana Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Bloomington, Indiana?

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, Family Self-Sufficiency, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) programs for Bloomington, Indiana.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for Bloomington, Indiana.

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

How many renters live in Bloomington, Indiana?

The City of Bloomington has 77,358 people living in 34,880 households.

There are 41,266 renters living in 23,487 renter households in this City. Renters make up 53.34 percent of the population living in Bloomington.

What is the rental market like in Bloomington, Indiana?

There are an estimated 36,562 housing units in the Bloomington area. Of these, 22,958 units are rental homes, making up 63 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Bloomington, Indiana, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Bloomington?

The rental vacancy rate in Bloomington is 5 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 Bloomington for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Bloomington
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,199 6,264 7,182 4,733 1,125
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Bloomington

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

Among renter households in this market, 57 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 38 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 Bloomington

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $848 to $1,814. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $848
One BR $979
Two BR $1,126
Three BR $1,549
Four BR $1,814
2024 Fair Market Rents in Bloomington, Indiana

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

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 531 44 percent
One BR 3,512 56 percent
Two BR 3,306 46 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Bloomington, Indiana

How many affordable rental units are in Bloomington?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,447
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 303
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 57
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 32
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Bloomington, Indiana

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

Income Based Apartments in Bloomington, Indiana

Bloomington features 1,029 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 Bloomington, Indiana

There are 1,184 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Bloomington.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Bloomington, Indiana

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Bloomington landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Bloomington.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Bloomington, Indiana for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,013 and $1,239.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.