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

Discover affordable housing in Watertown where there are 7+ 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.

Arsenal Apartments

465 Arsenal St, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472

St Josephs Hall

2 Rosary Dr, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472

Brigham House Elderly Project

341 Mount Auburn St, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472

Beaverbrook Step

16 Irving St, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472

Coolidge School

319 Arlington St , Watertown, Massachusetts 02472

1060 Belmont Street

1060 Belmont St, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472

Watertown Ha

100 Warren St, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472

Open Until Further Notice

Reported On February 23rd, 2024 by Nathan Brunet

calendar_today Opened: Jan 6
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 Watertown, 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 Watertown, Massachusetts Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Watertown, 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, Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs for Watertown, Massachusetts.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Moving to Work programs for Watertown, Massachusetts.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for Watertown, Massachusetts.

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

How many renters live in Watertown, Massachusetts?

The City of Watertown has 35,181 people living in 15,944 households.

There are 15,986 renters living in 7,770 renter households in this City. Renters make up 45.44 percent of the population living in Watertown.

What is the rental market like in Watertown, Massachusetts?

There are an estimated 16,767 housing units in the Watertown area. Of these, 8,013 units are rental homes, making up 48 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Watertown, Massachusetts, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Watertown?

The rental vacancy rate in Watertown is 2 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 Watertown for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Watertown
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
518 2,107 3,392 1,502 137
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Watertown

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

Among renter households in this market, 40 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 21 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 Watertown

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 Watertown, Massachusetts

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

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 162 31 percent
One BR 672 32 percent
Two BR 351 10 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Watertown, Massachusetts

How many affordable rental units are in Watertown?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 101
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 170
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 1
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Watertown, Massachusetts

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

Income Based Apartments in Watertown, Massachusetts

Watertown features 220 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 Watertown, Massachusetts

There are 145 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Watertown.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Watertown, Massachusetts

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Watertown landlords $1,100 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Watertown.

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

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.