Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Massachusetts, MA

Discover affordable housing in Massachusetts where there are 750+ 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.

Memorial Square Apartments

2718 Main St, Springfield, Massachusetts 01107

bed Studio-3

St. Joseph's Community

70 Crispus Attucks Place, Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119

bed 1-5

Wellington Street

41 Wellington St, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610

Esperanza Trust Apartments

80 Walnut Ave, Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119

bed Studio-2

Fort Hill Gardens

Cedar St, Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119

bed 3

Orchard View

108 Everett St, Easthampton, Massachusetts 01027

bed Studio-1

St Michaels House

71 State Street, Northampton, Massachusetts 01060

bed Studio-2

Sergeant House

82 Bridge St, Northampton, Massachusetts 01060

bed Studio

Prospect

195 PROSPECT ST, Cambridge, Massachusetts 2139

Hearth at Olmsted Green

2 KINGBIRD RD, Dorchester, Massachusetts 2124

bed 1

Independence House

1475 Roosevelt Ave, Springfield, Massachusetts 01109

Old High School Commons

433 Massachusetts Ave, Acton, Massachusetts 01720

bed 1-3

Car Barn Apartments

1959 Purchase St, New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740

bed 1-2

McNamara House

210 Everett St, Boston, Massachusetts 02134

bed Studio-2

Cedarvale Apartments

30 Olney St, Taunton, Massachusetts 02780

Uphams Corner

21 Hancock, Boston, Massachusetts 02114

Cambridge Community Housing

810 Memorial Drive Suite 102, Cambridge, Massachusetts 2139

bed Studio-4

Stone Gate

65 Silver Leaf Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752

bed 1-3
payment $1476-1916/mo.

University Crossing

36 Greenleaves Dr, Hadley, Massachusetts 1035

Woodland Crossing

36 Greenleaves Dr, Hadley, Massachusetts 01035

How To Identify Affordable Housing in Massachusetts

Look for program and preference badges on affordable apartment listings. These badges can help you identify the types of low income housing each apartment offers and if you may be eligbile for rental assistance or reduced rents.

Badge Description
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
Low income apartments with no or short waiting lists.
payment Subsidized
Low income housing where the rent is subsidized and the renter pays only a portion of total rent.
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
Apartments that accept Section 8 vouchers near you
elderly Senior
Rental housing for seniors who are 55 (or sometimes 62) and older.
payment Income Based
Affordable apartments where the rent paid is based on renter income.
accessibility Accessible
Meets Accessibilty Requirements of the Fair Housing Act, the ADA, or HUD policy.
accessible_forward Disability
Apartments for individuals or families with disabilities.
The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Massachusetts
$53.54/hour
$38.54 (+257%) more than Massachusetts minimum wage and $46.29 (+639%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Massachusetts Affordable Housing ↓

How many renters live in Massachusetts?

The State of Massachusetts has 766,381 people living in 330,101 households.

There are 434,679 renters living in 210,982 renter households in this State. Renters make up 56.72 percent of the population living in Massachusetts.

What is the rental market like in Massachusetts?

There are an estimated 357,351 housing units in the Massachusetts area. Of these, 222,668 units are rental homes, making up 62 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Massachusetts, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Massachusetts?

The rental vacancy rate in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Massachusetts
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
21,143 64,332 71,615 40,990 10,213
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Massachusetts

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

Among renter households in this market, 51 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 many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Massachusetts?

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 7,479 35 percent
One BR 23,014 36 percent
Two BR 24,854 35 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Massachusetts

How many affordable rental units are in Massachusetts?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Massachusetts including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 21,312
Public Housing 8,654
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 21,937
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 453
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 1,438
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 223
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Massachusetts

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

Income Based Apartments in Massachusetts

Massachusetts features 102,738 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 Massachusetts

There are 39,593 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Massachusetts.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Massachusetts

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Massachusetts landlords $1,000 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Massachusetts.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Massachusetts for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,544 and $3,110.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.