What HUD offices serve Southwest Harbor, Maine?
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 Maine Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Southwest Harbor.
How many renters live in Southwest Harbor, Maine?
The City of Southwest Harbor has 526 people living in 306 households.
There are 415 renters living in 245 renter households in this City. Renters make up 78.9 percent of the population living in Southwest Harbor.
What is the rental market like in Southwest Harbor, Maine?
There are an estimated 637 housing units in the Southwest Harbor area. Of these, 273 units are rental homes, making up 43 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Southwest Harbor, Maine, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Southwest Harbor?
The rental vacancy rate in Southwest Harbor 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 Southwest Harbor for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Southwest Harbor
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 137 | 39 | 34 | 26 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Southwest Harbor
A large number of apartments in Southwest Harbor 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 Southwest Harbor are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 49 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 25 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 Southwest Harbor
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $996 to $1,582. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $996 |
| One BR | $1,002 |
| Two BR | $1,188 |
| Three BR | $1,576 |
| Four BR | $1,582 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Southwest Harbor, Maine
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Southwest Harbor?
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 | 6 | 100 percent |
| One BR | 96 | 70 percent |
| Two BR | 39 | 100 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Southwest Harbor, Maine
How many affordable rental units are in Southwest Harbor?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Southwest Harbor, Maine including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Public Housing | 50 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 21 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Southwest Harbor, Maine
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Southwest Harbor, Maine
Southwest Harbor features 71 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 Southwest Harbor, Maine
There are 25 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Southwest Harbor.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Southwest Harbor, Maine
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Southwest Harbor landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $200 towards rent in Southwest Harbor.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Southwest Harbor, Maine for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,069 and $1,307.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
