What HUD offices serve Towson, Maryland?
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 Maryland Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Towson.
How many renters live in Towson, Maryland?
The City of Towson has 57,617 people living in 22,430 households.
There are 17,795 renters living in 9,534 renter households in this City. Renters make up 30.88 percent of the population living in Towson.
What is the rental market like in Towson, Maryland?
There are an estimated 24,234 housing units in the Towson area. Of these, 10,843 units are rental homes, making up 45 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Towson, Maryland, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Towson?
The rental vacancy rate in Towson 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 Towson for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Towson
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 877 | 3,353 | 3,766 | 1,235 | 266 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Towson
A large number of apartments in Towson 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 Towson are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 48 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 Towson
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,379 to $2,849. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $1,379 |
| One BR | $1,582 |
| Two BR | $1,943 |
| Three BR | $2,519 |
| Four BR | $2,849 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Towson, Maryland
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Towson?
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 | 534 | 61 percent |
| One BR | 1,845 | 55 percent |
| Two BR | 748 | 20 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Towson, Maryland
How many affordable rental units are in Towson?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Towson, Maryland including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 382 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 164 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 169 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Towson, Maryland
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Towson, Maryland
Towson features 440 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 Towson, Maryland
There are 294 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Towson.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Towson, Maryland
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Towson landlords $1,100 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Towson.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Towson, Maryland for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,749 and $2,137.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
