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.

Households who qualify for these programs may also qualify for Project-Based Section 8, which contributes rental assistance payments directly to private landlords on behalf of low-income tenants. Eligibility for the project-based program is similar to the voucher programs, but waiting list and application policies will vary depending on the landlord.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Housing Authority	Programs
Portsmouth Housing Authority	Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing

Guide To Affordable Housing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

There are 13 low income housing apartment communities offering 1,010 affordable apartments for rent in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Income Based Apartments in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth features 677 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 Portsmouth, New Hampshire

There are 333 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Portsmouth.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Portsmouth landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Portsmouth.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,259 and $1,539.

2022 Portsmouth, New Hampshire Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

	Studio	One BR	Two BR	Three BR	Four BR
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Fair Market Rent	$977	$1,092	$1,399	$1,871	$2,295
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Payment Standard Range	$879 to $1,075	$983 to $1,201	$1,259 to $1,539	$1,684 to $2,058	$2,066 to $2,525

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Portsmouth, NH Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties	13
Total Low Income Apartments	1,010
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance	677
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters	47.27%
Average Renter Household Size	1.79
Average Household Size	2.00
Median Household Income	$71,392 ±$4,252
Median Rent	$1,142 ±$45
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened	41.85% ± 4.94pp
Total Population	21,426

Population and Household Demographics

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire with a population of 21,426. There are 10,262 households in the city with an average household size of 2.00 persons. 47.27% of households in Portsmouth are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Portsmouth

The median gross income for households in Portsmouth is $71,392 a year, or $5,949 a month. The median rent for the city is $1,142 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Portsmouth, a household making less than $3,807 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 41.85% of households who rent are overburdened in Portsmouth.

Area Median Income In Portsmouth

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Portsmouth, the AMI is calculated from all households within Rockingham County.

In Portsmouth, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $105,400

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Portsmouth

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Portsmouth

	1 Person	2 Person	3 Person	4 Person	5 Person	6 Person	7 Person	8 Person
30% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 30% of the Portsmouth AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.	$21,600	$24,700	$27,800	$30,850	$33,350	$35,800	$40,120	$44,660
50% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 50% of the Portsmouth AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.	$36,050	$41,200	$46,350	$51,450	$55,600	$59,700	$63,800	$67,950
80% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 80% of the Portsmouth AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.	$55,950	$63,950	$71,950	$79,900	$86,300	$92,700	$99,100	$105,500

Affordable Housing In Portsmouth Rockingham County, New Hampshire

13 Low Income Apartment Communities In Portsmouth

Section 8 Vouchers, Apartments, and Waiting Lists in Portsmouth, New Hampshire