What HUD offices serve Kansas City, Missouri?
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 Missouri Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Kansas City.
How many renters live in Kansas City, Missouri?
The City of Kansas City has 509,247 people living in 227,027 households.
There are 201,143 renters living in 104,738 renter households in this City. Renters make up 39.5 percent of the population living in Kansas City.
What is the rental market like in Kansas City, Missouri?
There are an estimated 249,272 housing units in the Kansas City area. Of these, 112,578 units are rental homes, making up 45 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Kansas City, Missouri, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Kansas City?
The rental vacancy rate in Kansas City 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 Kansas City for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Kansas City
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9,592 | 30,913 | 39,124 | 20,582 | 4,185 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Kansas City
A large number of apartments in Kansas City 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 Kansas City are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 47 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 24 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 Kansas City
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $985 to $1,931. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $985 |
| One BR | $1,098 |
| Two BR | $1,258 |
| Three BR | $1,645 |
| Four BR | $1,931 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Kansas City, Missouri
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Kansas City?
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 | 3,926 | 41 percent |
| One BR | 18,652 | 60 percent |
| Two BR | 20,802 | 53 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Kansas City, Missouri
How many affordable rental units are in Kansas City?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Kansas City, Missouri including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 13,280 |
| Public Housing | 1,720 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 5,106 |
| Section 236 Rental Assistance | 117 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 572 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 199 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Kansas City, Missouri
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City features 7,743 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 Kansas City, Missouri
There are 9,209 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Kansas City.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Kansas City, Missouri
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Kansas City landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Kansas City.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Kansas City, Missouri for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,132 and $1,384.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
