Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Salem, OR

Discover affordable housing in Salem where there are 45+ 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 Salem, Oregon
$25.38/hour
$12.18 (+92%) more than Oregon minimum wage and $18.13 (+250%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Salem, Oregon Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Salem, Oregon?

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 programs for Salem, Oregon.

Go to the Oregon Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Salem.

How many renters live in Salem, Oregon?

The City of Salem has 177,490 people living in 68,667 households.

There are 72,522 renters living in 31,001 renter households in this City. Renters make up 40.86 percent of the population living in Salem.

What is the rental market like in Salem, Oregon?

There are an estimated 69,286 housing units in the Salem area. Of these, 31,599 units are rental homes, making up 46 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Salem, Oregon, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Salem?

The rental vacancy rate in Salem 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 Salem for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Salem
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
2,440 6,361 14,675 5,727 1,281
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Salem

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

Among renter households in this market, 50 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 29 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 Salem

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $997 to $2,095. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $997
One BR $1,053
Two BR $1,340
Three BR $1,888
Four BR $2,095
2024 Fair Market Rents in Salem, Oregon

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Salem?

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 783 32 percent
One BR 3,428 54 percent
Two BR 7,717 53 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Salem, Oregon

How many affordable rental units are in Salem?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Salem, Oregon including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,197
Public Housing 385
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 671
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 67
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Salem, Oregon

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

Income Based Apartments in Salem, Oregon

Salem features 1,545 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 Salem, Oregon

There are 1,168 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Salem.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Salem, Oregon

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Salem landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Salem.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Salem, Oregon for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,206 and $1,474.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.