What HUD offices serve Worcester County, 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 Worcester County.
How many renters live in Worcester County, Maryland?
The County of Worcester County has 52,827 people living in 23,457 households.
There are 11,920 renters living in 5,496 renter households in this County. Renters make up 22.56 percent of the population living in Worcester County.
What is the rental market like in Worcester County, Maryland?
There are an estimated 56,399 housing units in the Worcester County area. Of these, 6,300 units are rental homes, making up 11 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Worcester County, Maryland, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Worcester County?
The rental vacancy rate in Worcester County is 9 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 Worcester County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Worcester County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 144 | 759 | 2,065 | 1,822 | 633 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Worcester County
A large number of apartments in Worcester 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 Worcester County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 48 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 24 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 Worcester County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $993 to $1,797. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $993 |
| One BR | $1,020 |
| Two BR | $1,145 |
| Three BR | $1,614 |
| Four BR | $1,797 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Worcester County, Maryland
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Worcester 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 | 58 | 40 percent |
| One BR | 480 | 63 percent |
| Two BR | 1,137 | 55 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Worcester County, Maryland
How many affordable rental units are in Worcester County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Worcester County, Maryland including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 612 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 220 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 537 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Worcester County, Maryland
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Worcester County, Maryland
Worcester County features 686 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 Worcester County, Maryland
There are 253 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Worcester County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Worcester County, Maryland
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Worcester County landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Worcester County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Worcester County, Maryland for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,031 and $1,260.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
