Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in St Joseph County, MI

Discover affordable housing in St Joseph County where there are 25+ 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.

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In St Joseph County, Michigan
$17.50/hour
$7.17 (+69%) more than Michigan minimum wage and $10.25 (+141%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About St Joseph County, Michigan Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve St Joseph County, Michigan?

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), Homeownership Voucher, Family Self-Sufficiency, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs for St Joseph County, Michigan.

Go to the Michigan Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near St Joseph County.

How many renters live in St Joseph County, Michigan?

The County of St Joseph County has 60,887 people living in 23,478 households.

There are 13,475 renters living in 5,984 renter households in this County. Renters make up 22.13 percent of the population living in St Joseph County.

What is the rental market like in St Joseph County, Michigan?

There are an estimated 27,198 housing units in the St Joseph County area. Of these, 6,411 units are rental homes, making up 24 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in St Joseph County, Michigan, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in St Joseph County?

The rental vacancy rate in St Joseph County is 5 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 St Joseph County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in St Joseph County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
122 1,656 1,933 1,656 428
Occupied Rental Units by Size in St Joseph County

A large number of apartments in St Joseph 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 St Joseph County are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 34 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 18 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 St Joseph County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $646 to $1,339. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $646
One BR $712
Two BR $924
Three BR $1,277
Four BR $1,339
2024 Fair Market Rents in St Joseph County, Michigan

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in St Joseph 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 56 46 percent
One BR 1,154 70 percent
Two BR 1,205 62 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in St Joseph County, Michigan

How many affordable rental units are in St Joseph County?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in St Joseph County, Michigan including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 855
Public Housing 71
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 389
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 17
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 472
Tracked Units by Federal Program in St Joseph County, Michigan

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

Income Based Apartments in St Joseph County, Michigan

St Joseph County features 1,114 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 St Joseph County, Michigan

There are 236 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in St Joseph County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in St Joseph County, Michigan

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay St Joseph County landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in St Joseph County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in St Joseph County, Michigan for a two-bedroom apartment is between $832 and $1,016.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.