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

Discover affordable housing in Jefferson County where there are 16+ 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 Jefferson County, Pennsylvania
$16.00/hour
$8.75 (+121%) more than Pennsylvania minimum wage and $8.75 (+121%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Jefferson County, Pennsylvania Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.

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

How many renters live in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania?

The County of Jefferson County has 44,326 people living in 18,018 households.

There are 9,680 renters living in 4,552 renter households in this County. Renters make up 21.84 percent of the population living in Jefferson County.

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

There are an estimated 22,065 housing units in the Jefferson County area. Of these, 4,773 units are rental homes, making up 22 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Jefferson County?

The rental vacancy rate in Jefferson County is 4 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 Jefferson County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Jefferson County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
217 981 1,575 1,454 239
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Jefferson County

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

Among renter households in this market, 39 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 17 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 Jefferson County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $573 to $1,131. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $573
One BR $657
Two BR $845
Three BR $1,042
Four BR $1,131
2024 Fair Market Rents in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Jefferson 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 120 55 percent
One BR 598 61 percent
Two BR 828 53 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

How many affordable rental units are in Jefferson County?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 97
Public Housing 282
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 162
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 56
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 108
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

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

Income Based Apartments in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

Jefferson County features 652 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 Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

There are 64 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Jefferson County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

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

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania for a two-bedroom apartment is between $761 and $930.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.