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

Discover affordable housing in Erie County where there are 81+ 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.

calendar_today Opened: Aug 25
Open Until Further Notice

Reported On February 23rd, 2024 by Ayat Elkarib

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Erie County, Pennsylvania
$18.62/hour
$11.37 (+157%) more than Pennsylvania minimum wage and $11.37 (+157%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Erie County, Pennsylvania Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Erie 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 Erie County, Pennsylvania.

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

How many renters live in Erie County, Pennsylvania?

The County of Erie County has 267,689 people living in 111,286 households.

There are 66,330 renters living in 33,730 renter households in this County. Renters make up 24.78 percent of the population living in Erie County.

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

There are an estimated 120,123 housing units in the Erie County area. Of these, 36,440 units are rental homes, making up 30 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Erie County, Pennsylvania, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Erie County?

The rental vacancy rate in Erie County is 6 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 Erie County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Erie County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
2,004 8,910 12,614 6,961 2,206
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Erie County

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

Among renter households in this market, 46 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 Erie County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $726 to $1,345. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $726
One BR $757
Two BR $983
Three BR $1,227
Four BR $1,345
2024 Fair Market Rents in Erie County, Pennsylvania

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Erie 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 1,459 73 percent
One BR 5,362 60 percent
Two BR 7,740 61 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Erie County, Pennsylvania

How many affordable rental units are in Erie County?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,001
Public Housing 1,878
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,419
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 378
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 162
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 233
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Erie County, Pennsylvania

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

Income Based Apartments in Erie County, Pennsylvania

Erie County features 3,805 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 Erie County, Pennsylvania

There are 634 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Erie County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Erie County, Pennsylvania

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Erie County landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Erie County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Erie County, Pennsylvania for a two-bedroom apartment is between $885 and $1,081.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.