Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Shawnee County, KS

Discover affordable housing in Shawnee County where there are 72+ 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 Shawnee County, Kansas
$18.18/hour
$10.93 (+151%) more than Kansas minimum wage and $10.93 (+151%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Shawnee County, Kansas Affordable Housing ↓

How many renters live in Shawnee County, Kansas?

The County of Shawnee County has 177,480 people living in 75,895 households.

There are 51,579 renters living in 26,059 renter households in this County. Renters make up 29.06 percent of the population living in Shawnee County.

What is the rental market like in Shawnee County, Kansas?

There are an estimated 80,673 housing units in the Shawnee County area. Of these, 27,517 units are rental homes, making up 34 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Shawnee County, Kansas, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Shawnee County?

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

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Shawnee County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
3,730 5,390 8,947 6,574 1,158
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Shawnee County

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

Among renter households in this market, 47 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 26 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 Shawnee County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $726 to $1,372. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $726
One BR $731
Two BR $960
Three BR $1,231
Four BR $1,372
2024 Fair Market Rents in Shawnee County, Kansas

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Shawnee 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 1,976 53 percent
One BR 3,473 64 percent
Two BR 4,436 50 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Shawnee County, Kansas

How many affordable rental units are in Shawnee County?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 2,403
Public Housing 734
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,034
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 41
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 20
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 40
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Shawnee County, Kansas

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

Income Based Apartments in Shawnee County, Kansas

Shawnee County features 1,987 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 Shawnee County, Kansas

There are 2,558 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Shawnee County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Shawnee County, Kansas

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

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Shawnee County, Kansas for a two-bedroom apartment is between $864 and $1,056.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.