Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Des Moines, IA

Discover affordable housing in Des Moines where there are 138+ 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 Edge at Gray's Landing

406 Southwest 9th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Metro Lofts

100 2nd Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Stewart Park Apartments

1401 E Capitol Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50316

Vine Street Lofts

101 2nd Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

South View Senior Apartments

504 E Hillside Ave , Des Moines, Iowa 50315

Hawthorn Hill

921 Pleasant St, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Corinthian Gardens

1011 University Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50314

MLK Crossing Senior Apartments

2455 Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, Des Moines, Iowa 50312

The Brickstones at Riverbend

513 Forest Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50314

Logan Park

1731 Cleveland Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50316

Rumely Lofts

104 SW 4th St, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Fort Des Moines Living

6924 Chaffee Rd. #17, Des Moines, Iowa 50315

Oakridge Neighborhood ( Dmacc )

926 Oakridge Dr, Des Moines, Iowa 50314

Ligutti Towers

555 5th Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Elsie Mason Manor

430 Grand Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Crane Artists Lofts

1440 Walnut St, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Crest at Baker Creek

4560 Hubbell Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50317

Libertad Des Moines

4421 SE 14th St, Des Moines, Iowa 50320

Heron Estates Senior Apartments

4770 Northeast 17th Court, Des Moines, Iowa 50313

Lynn Crossing 2000 Meadow Chase Lane

2000 Meadow Chase Ln, Des Moines, Iowa 50320

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Des Moines, Iowa
$20.45/hour
$13.20 (+182%) more than Iowa minimum wage and $13.20 (+182%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Des Moines, Iowa Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Des Moines, 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), Public Housing, Family Self-Sufficiency, Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) programs for Des Moines, Iowa.

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

How many renters live in Des Moines, Iowa?

The City of Des Moines has 210,936 people living in 93,091 households.

There are 69,518 renters living in 36,792 renter households in this City. Renters make up 32.96 percent of the population living in Des Moines.

What is the rental market like in Des Moines, Iowa?

There are an estimated 100,258 housing units in the Des Moines area. Of these, 38,543 units are rental homes, making up 38 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Des Moines, Iowa, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Des Moines?

The rental vacancy rate in Des Moines is 4 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 Des Moines for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Des Moines
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
2,589 11,605 14,913 5,898 1,644
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Des Moines

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

Among renter households in this market, 45 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 23 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 Des Moines

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $833 to $1,481. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $833
One BR $899
Two BR $1,080
Three BR $1,477
Four BR $1,481
2024 Fair Market Rents in Des Moines, Iowa

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

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 1,653 64 percent
One BR 6,156 53 percent
Two BR 7,851 53 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Des Moines, Iowa

How many affordable rental units are in Des Moines?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 5,090
Public Housing 424
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,437
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 80
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 36
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Des Moines, Iowa

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

Income Based Apartments in Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines features 2,634 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 Des Moines, Iowa

There are 4,678 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Des Moines.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Des Moines, Iowa

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Des Moines landlords $0 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $0 towards rent in Des Moines.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Des Moines, Iowa for a two-bedroom apartment is between $972 and $1,188.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.