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

Discover affordable housing in Union County where there are 111+ 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.

Heritage Village at Elizabeth

225 Second Street., Elizabeth, New Jersey 07206

Cedarbrook Apartments

1272 Park Avenue, Plainfield, New Jersey 7060

Parkers Walk

450 Irvington Avenue, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208

Parkers View

450 Irvington Avenue, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208

Leland Gardens

1227 East Front Street, Bldg #66, Plainfield, New Jersey 07062

Rosegate Apartments

555 East Hazelwood Avenue , Rahway, New Jersey 07065

Portside II Apartments

136 Pine Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07206

Plainfield Towers West

601 W 7th Street, Plainfield, New Jersey 07060

Roselle Senior Residence Facility

408 Grand Street, Roselle, New Jersey 07203

Waters Edge Crescent

80 Magnolia Ave, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07206

Oaks at Westminster

410 Irvington Ave, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208

Westminster Heights

450 Irvington Avenue, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208

Oak Park Apartments

1 Garden Dr, Roselle, New Jersey 07203

Cranford Lincoln Apartments

800 Lincoln Ave E, Cranford, New Jersey 07016

Cpnj Plainfield Residence 2009

1022 Field Ave, Plainfield, New Jersey 07060

Liberty Village

Liberty St, Plainfield, New Jersey 07060

Nora Gardens

1793 Burnett Ave, Union, New Jersey 07083

Cpnj Plainfield Residence II

1019 Hillside Ave, Plainfield, New Jersey 07060

Fanwood Group Home

60 North Ave, Fanwood, New Jersey 07023

John T. Gregorio Towers

1425 Dill Ave, Linden, New Jersey 7036

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Union County, New Jersey
$36.29/hour
$22.56 (+164%) more than New Jersey minimum wage and $29.04 (+401%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Union County, New Jersey Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Union 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) programs for Union County, New Jersey.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for Union County, New Jersey.

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

How many renters live in Union County, New Jersey?

The County of Union County has 569,815 people living in 202,575 households.

There are 218,549 renters living in 87,062 renter households in this County. Renters make up 38.35 percent of the population living in Union County.

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

There are an estimated 211,906 housing units in the Union County area. Of these, 90,630 units are rental homes, making up 43 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Union County, New Jersey, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Union County?

The rental vacancy rate in Union County is 3 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 Union County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Union County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
5,028 25,372 32,441 20,087 3,333
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Union County

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

Among renter households in this market, 52 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 25 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 Union County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,379 to $2,800. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,379
One BR $1,590
Two BR $1,916
Three BR $2,424
Four BR $2,800
2024 Fair Market Rents in Union County, New Jersey

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Union 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 3,185 63 percent
One BR 15,568 61 percent
Two BR 13,218 41 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Union County, New Jersey

How many affordable rental units are in Union County?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 3,689
Public Housing 2,106
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,839
Section 236 Rental Assistance 349
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 424
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 58
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Union County, New Jersey

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

Income Based Apartments in Union County, New Jersey

Union County features 4,957 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 Union County, New Jersey

There are 2,116 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Union County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Union County, New Jersey

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Union County landlords $900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Union County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Union County, New Jersey for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,724 and $2,108.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.