What HUD offices serve Cerro Gordo 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.
Go to the Iowa Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Cerro Gordo County.
How many renters live in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa?
The County of Cerro Gordo County has 42,979 people living in 19,450 households.
There are 10,236 renters living in 5,519 renter households in this County. Renters make up 23.82 percent of the population living in Cerro Gordo County.
What is the rental market like in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa?
There are an estimated 22,651 housing units in the Cerro Gordo County area. Of these, 5,699 units are rental homes, making up 25 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Cerro Gordo County?
The rental vacancy rate in Cerro Gordo County is 2 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 Cerro Gordo County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Cerro Gordo County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 169 | 1,586 | 2,038 | 1,107 | 417 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Cerro Gordo County
A large number of apartments in Cerro Gordo County 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 Cerro Gordo County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 30 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 14 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 Cerro Gordo County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $649 to $1,323. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $649 |
| One BR | $677 |
| Two BR | $889 |
| Three BR | $1,145 |
| Four BR | $1,323 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Cerro Gordo 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 | 81 | 48 percent |
| One BR | 879 | 55 percent |
| Two BR | 1,288 | 63 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
How many affordable rental units are in Cerro Gordo County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 405 |
| Public Housing | 11 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 340 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 29 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 72 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Cerro Gordo County features 611 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 Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
There are 291 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Cerro Gordo County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Cerro Gordo County landlords $400 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Cerro Gordo County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa for a two-bedroom apartment is between $800 and $978.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
