Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Dauphin County, PA

Discover affordable housing in Dauphin County where there are 78+ 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 Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
$24.11/hour
$16.86 (+233%) more than Pennsylvania minimum wage and $16.86 (+233%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Dauphin County, Pennsylvania?

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 Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

Go to the Pennsylvania Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Dauphin County.

How many renters live in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania?

The County of Dauphin County has 288,800 people living in 122,403 households.

There are 95,260 renters living in 46,342 renter households in this County. Renters make up 32.98 percent of the population living in Dauphin County.

What is the rental market like in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania?

There are an estimated 126,567 housing units in the Dauphin County area. Of these, 45,785 units are rental homes, making up 36 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Dauphin County?

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

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Dauphin County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
3,630 13,041 17,418 10,417 1,256
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Dauphin County

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

Among renter households in this market, 42 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 18 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 Dauphin County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $876 to $1,695. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $876
One BR $1,021
Two BR $1,273
Three BR $1,634
Four BR $1,695
2024 Fair Market Rents in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Dauphin 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 1,545 43 percent
One BR 8,423 65 percent
Two BR 9,877 57 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

How many affordable rental units are in Dauphin County?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,698
Public Housing 2,221
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,401
Section 236 Rental Assistance 195
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 1
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 46
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 56
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

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

Income Based Apartments in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Dauphin County features 3,797 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 Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

There are 1,579 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Dauphin County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Dauphin County landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Dauphin County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,146 and $1,400.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.