Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Baton Rouge, LA

Discover affordable housing in Baton Rouge where there are 83+ 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 Baton Rouge, Louisiana
$24.19/hour
$16.94 (+234%) more than Louisiana minimum wage and $16.94 (+234%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Baton Rouge, Louisiana Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Baton Rouge, Louisiana?

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, Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs for Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Go to the Louisiana Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Baton Rouge.

How many renters live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana?

The City of Baton Rouge has 221,451 people living in 89,204 households.

There are 108,672 renters living in 49,009 renter households in this City. Renters make up 49.07 percent of the population living in Baton Rouge.

What is the rental market like in Baton Rouge, Louisiana?

There are an estimated 106,202 housing units in the Baton Rouge area. Of these, 53,554 units are rental homes, making up 50 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Baton Rouge?

The rental vacancy rate in Baton Rouge is 8 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 Baton Rouge for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Baton Rouge
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
3,221 11,525 19,663 12,612 1,532
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Baton Rouge

A large number of apartments in Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 52 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 27 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 Baton Rouge

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,107 to $2,125. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,107
One BR $1,124
Two BR $1,277
Three BR $1,598
Four BR $2,125
2024 Fair Market Rents in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Baton Rouge?

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 1,722 53 percent
One BR 9,307 81 percent
Two BR 13,773 70 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

How many affordable rental units are in Baton Rouge?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Baton Rouge, Louisiana including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 6,659
Public Housing 850
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,579
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 317
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 7
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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

Income Based Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge features 3,918 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 Baton Rouge, Louisiana

There are 3,809 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Baton Rouge.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Baton Rouge landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Baton Rouge.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,149 and $1,405.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.