Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Bergen County, NJ

Discover affordable housing in Bergen County where there are 89+ 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 Bergen County, New Jersey
$35.83/hour
$22.10 (+161%) more than New Jersey minimum wage and $28.58 (+394%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Bergen County, New Jersey Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Bergen County, New Jersey?

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, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) programs for Bergen County, New Jersey.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for Bergen County, New Jersey.

Go to the New Jersey Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Bergen County.

How many renters live in Bergen County, New Jersey?

The County of Bergen County has 952,997 people living in 354,937 households.

There are 281,759 renters living in 121,892 renter households in this County. Renters make up 29.57 percent of the population living in Bergen County.

What is the rental market like in Bergen County, New Jersey?

There are an estimated 369,379 housing units in the Bergen County area. Of these, 125,922 units are rental homes, making up 34 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Bergen County, New Jersey, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Bergen County?

The rental vacancy rate in Bergen County 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 Bergen County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Bergen County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
8,270 42,812 46,106 18,952 4,311
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Bergen County

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

Among renter households in this market, 48 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 26 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 Bergen County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,400 to $2,946. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,400
One BR $1,645
Two BR $1,892
Three BR $2,342
Four BR $2,946
2024 Fair Market Rents in Bergen County, New Jersey

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Bergen 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 4,356 53 percent
One BR 20,508 48 percent
Two BR 11,417 25 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Bergen County, New Jersey

How many affordable rental units are in Bergen County?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Bergen County, New Jersey including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,709
Public Housing 675
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 2,274
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 188
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 86
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Bergen County, New Jersey

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

Income Based Apartments in Bergen County, New Jersey

Bergen County features 4,746 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 Bergen County, New Jersey

There are 1,429 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Bergen County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Bergen County, New Jersey

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Bergen County landlords $1,000 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Bergen County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Bergen County, New Jersey for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,703 and $2,081.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.