Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Cedar Rapids, IA

Discover affordable housing in Cedar Rapids where there are 49+ 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 Cedar Rapids, Iowa
$17.82/hour
$10.57 (+146%) more than Iowa minimum wage and $10.57 (+146%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Cedar Rapids, Iowa Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Cedar Rapids, Iowa?

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) programs for Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Go to the Iowa Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Cedar Rapids.

How many renters live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa?

The City of Cedar Rapids has 136,438 people living in 58,282 households.

There are 33,043 renters living in 17,375 renter households in this City. Renters make up 24.22 percent of the population living in Cedar Rapids.

What is the rental market like in Cedar Rapids, Iowa?

There are an estimated 63,145 housing units in the Cedar Rapids area. Of these, 20,283 units are rental homes, making up 32 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Cedar Rapids?

The rental vacancy rate in Cedar Rapids is 10 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 Cedar Rapids for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Cedar Rapids
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,581 5,015 7,315 2,602 802
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Cedar Rapids

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

Among renter households in this market, 41 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 20 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 Cedar Rapids

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $638 to $1,597. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $638
One BR $716
Two BR $941
Three BR $1,326
Four BR $1,597
2024 Fair Market Rents in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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

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 949 60 percent
One BR 2,839 57 percent
Two BR 3,535 48 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

How many affordable rental units are in Cedar Rapids?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Cedar Rapids, Iowa including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,922
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 912
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 52
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 18
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 16
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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

Income Based Apartments in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cedar Rapids features 903 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 Cedar Rapids, Iowa

There are 2,242 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Cedar Rapids.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Cedar Rapids landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Cedar Rapids.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a two-bedroom apartment is between $847 and $1,035.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.