Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in New Bedford, MA

Discover affordable housing in New Bedford where there are 46+ 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.

Open Until Further Notice

Reported On February 23rd, 2024 by Nathan Brunet

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In New Bedford, Massachusetts
$27.71/hour
$12.71 (+85%) more than Massachusetts minimum wage and $20.46 (+282%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About New Bedford, Massachusetts Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve New Bedford, 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.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Moving to Work programs for New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Go to the Massachusetts Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near New Bedford.

How many renters live in New Bedford, Massachusetts?

The City of New Bedford has 100,676 people living in 44,322 households.

There are 55,396 renters living in 27,155 renter households in this City. Renters make up 55.02 percent of the population living in New Bedford.

What is the rental market like in New Bedford, Massachusetts?

There are an estimated 44,392 housing units in the New Bedford area. Of these, 26,093 units are rental homes, making up 59 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in New Bedford, Massachusetts, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in New Bedford?

The rental vacancy rate in New Bedford is 3 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 New Bedford for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in New Bedford
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,144 5,766 10,503 8,666 1,022
Occupied Rental Units by Size in New Bedford

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

Among renter households in this market, 44 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 20 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 New Bedford

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,027 to $2,049. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,027
One BR $1,205
Two BR $1,463
Three BR $1,769
Four BR $2,049
2024 Fair Market Rents in New Bedford, Massachusetts

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in New Bedford?

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 596 52 percent
One BR 4,762 83 percent
Two BR 7,074 67 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in New Bedford, Massachusetts

How many affordable rental units are in New Bedford?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,217
Public Housing 1,743
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,267
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 82
Tracked Units by Federal Program in New Bedford, Massachusetts

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

Income Based Apartments in New Bedford, Massachusetts

New Bedford features 2,691 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 New Bedford, Massachusetts

There are 867 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in New Bedford.

Housing Choice Vouchers in New Bedford, Massachusetts

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay New Bedford landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in New Bedford.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in New Bedford, Massachusetts for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,317 and $1,609.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.