Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Polk County, IA

Discover affordable housing in Polk County where there are 297+ 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.

South View Senior Apartments II

1900 6th Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50315

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible

Mlk Brickstone Development

1039 19th St, Des Moines, Iowa 50314

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible

Stockbridge Apartments

1815 High St, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible

The Rose of East Des Moines

1331 Idaho St, Des Moines, Iowa 50316

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accessibility Accessible

Canterbury Park III

700 NE 56th St, Pleasant Hill, Iowa 50327

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accessibility Accessible

Deer Ridge VI Apartments

6000 Creston Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50321

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accessibility Accessible

Harrington Apartments

677 16th St, Des Moines, Iowa 50314

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accessibility Accessible

The Rose of Des Moines

1330 19th St, Des Moines, Iowa 50314

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible

Walden Point

1200 4th St, Des Moines, Iowa 50314

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accessibility Accessible

Court Ave Lofts

308 Court Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

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accessibility Accessible

Canterbury Park II Apartments

955 Sherrylynn Blvd, Pleasant Hill, Iowa 50327

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accessibility Accessible

Deer Ridge Apartments

6001 Creston Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50321

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accessibility Accessible

Venbury Trail Apartments

900 8th St SW, Altoona, Iowa 50009

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accessibility Accessible

Southbrook Green Apartments II

1516 Evergreen Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50320

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accessibility Accessible

Woodside Park II Apartments

2201 E Park Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50320

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accessibility Accessible

East Ridge Apartments

1431 E 40th St, Des Moines, Iowa 50317

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accessibility Accessible

Elmcrest Apartments

423 E Philip St, Des Moines, Iowa 50315

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Johnston Crossing

5409 NW Johnston Dr., Johnston, Iowa 50131

bed 1-2
payment $425-975/mo.

Flats on Fifth

7109 Southeast 5th St., Des Moines, Iowa 50315

bed 1-2
payment $780-980/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers

Deer Ridge IV

6009 Creston Ave, Des Moines, Iowa 50321

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

How To Identify Affordable Housing in Polk County, Iowa

Look for program and preference badges on affordable apartment listings. These badges can help you identify the types of low income housing each apartment offers and if you may be eligbile for rental assistance or reduced rents.

Badge Description
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
Low income apartments with no or short waiting lists.
payment Subsidized
Low income housing where the rent is subsidized and the renter pays only a portion of total rent.
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
Apartments that accept Section 8 vouchers near you
elderly Senior
Rental housing for seniors who are 55 (or sometimes 62) and older.
payment Income Based
Affordable apartments where the rent paid is based on renter income.
accessibility Accessible
Meets Accessibilty Requirements of the Fair Housing Act, the ADA, or HUD policy.
accessible_forward Disability
Apartments for individuals or families with disabilities.
real_estate_agent Naturally Affordable
Naturally Occuring Affordable Housing - or NOAH - is any housing unit that offers affordable rent without participating in a rent subsidy program.
The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Polk County, 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 Polk County, Iowa Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Polk County, 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 Polk County, Iowa.

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

How many renters live in Polk County, Iowa?

The County of Polk County has people living in households.

There are renters living in renter households in this County. Renters make up 25.14 percent of the population living in Polk County.

What is the rental market like in Polk County, Iowa?

There are an estimated housing units in the Polk County area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Polk County, Iowa, there are 1.05 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Polk County?

The rental vacancy rate in Polk County 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 Polk County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Polk County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
3,168 18,406 30,073 10,037 2,719
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Polk County

A large number of apartments in Polk County have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.

How Much Is Rent in Polk County

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 Polk County, Iowa

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Polk 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 1,830 58 percent
One BR 8,752 48 percent
Two BR 14,345 48 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Polk County, Iowa

How many affordable rental units are in Polk County?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Public Housing
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Polk County, Iowa

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

Income Based Apartments in Polk County, Iowa

Polk County features 3,174 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 Polk County, Iowa

There are 6,099 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Polk County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Polk County, Iowa

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

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

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

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