What HUD offices serve Boston, Massachusetts?
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 Massachusetts Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Boston.
How many renters live in Boston, Massachusetts?
The City of Boston has 649,768 people living in 284,061 households.
There are 371,047 renters living in 185,035 renter households in this City. Renters make up 57.1 percent of the population living in Boston.
What is the rental market like in Boston, Massachusetts?
There are an estimated 307,836 housing units in the Boston area. Of these, 194,836 units are rental homes, making up 63 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Boston, Massachusetts, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Boston?
The rental vacancy rate in Boston 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 Boston for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Boston
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19,123 | 57,383 | 62,878 | 34,457 | 8,764 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Boston
A large number of apartments in Boston 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 Boston are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 51 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 26 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 Boston
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,212 to $3,765. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $2,212 |
| One BR | $2,377 |
| Two BR | $2,827 |
| Three BR | $3,418 |
| Four BR | $3,765 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Boston, Massachusetts
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Boston?
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 | 6,491 | 34 percent |
| One BR | 19,159 | 33 percent |
| Two BR | 21,793 | 35 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Boston, Massachusetts
How many affordable rental units are in Boston?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Boston, Massachusetts including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 23,333 |
| Public Housing | 8,108 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 20,742 |
| Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance | 453 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 1,351 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 184 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Boston, Massachusetts
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston features 20,001 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 Boston, Massachusetts
There are 6,257 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Boston.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Boston, Massachusetts
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Boston landlords $1,300 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Boston.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Boston, Massachusetts for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,544 and $3,110.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
