What HUD offices serve Covington County, Mississippi?
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 Mississippi Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Covington County.
How many renters live in Covington County, Mississippi?
The County of Covington County has 18,323 people living in 6,954 households.
There are 3,801 renters living in 1,713 renter households in this County. Renters make up 20.74 percent of the population living in Covington County.
What is the rental market like in Covington County, Mississippi?
There are an estimated 8,335 housing units in the Covington County area. Of these, 1,791 units are rental homes, making up 21 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Covington County, Mississippi, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Covington County?
The rental vacancy rate in Covington County 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 Covington County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Covington County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 235 | 426 | 951 | 28 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Covington County
A large number of apartments in Covington 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 Covington County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 31 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 Covington County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $614 to $1,215. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $614 |
| One BR | $749 |
| Two BR | $903 |
| Three BR | $1,210 |
| Four BR | $1,215 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Covington County, Mississippi
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Covington 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 | 15 | 44 percent |
| One BR | 162 | 69 percent |
| Two BR | 305 | 72 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Covington County, Mississippi
How many affordable rental units are in Covington County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Covington County, Mississippi including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 197 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 24 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 182 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Covington County, Mississippi
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Covington County, Mississippi
Covington County features 182 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 Covington County, Mississippi
There are 52 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Covington County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Covington County, Mississippi
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Covington County landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Covington County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Covington County, Mississippi for a two-bedroom apartment is between $813 and $993.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
