Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Philadelphia, PA

Discover affordable housing in Philadelphia where there are 562+ 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.

Cambridge Plaza

1006 Cambridge St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19123

Schuylkill Falls

4301 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129

Parkside Preservation Project

4106 Parkside Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Marlton Residences

1721 Marlton Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Mid City Ywca Apartments

2025 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

Brantwood II

4142 Parkside Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Villas Del Caribe

180A W Westmoreland St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140

Hope Haven I and II

2826-2829 Diamond St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19121

Clover Affordable Housing

4231 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Project Home - Broad St

1440 N Broad St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19121

Belmont Affordable Housing II

5324 Spruce St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19139

Peoples Emergency Center

3902 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Castor Supported Independent Living

7900 Castor Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19152

Temple Suppd Indep Living

1704 N 16th St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19121

Chandler S I L

419 Chandler St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19111

Mantua Supported Independent Living

3613 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19014

Ken - Crest Pa 2006

11608 Gifford St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116

Bustleton Supported Independent Living

6727 Bustleton Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19149

Crease Dyre Supported Independent Living

1327 Crease St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19125

Melon Suppd Indep Living 5366

3616 Melon St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$32.90/hour
$25.65 (+354%) more than Pennsylvania minimum wage and $25.65 (+354%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Philadelphia, 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, Moving to Work programs for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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

How many renters live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

The City of Philadelphia has 1,567,258 people living in 695,320 households.

There are 688,707 renters living in 341,785 renter households in this City. Renters make up 43.94 percent of the population living in Philadelphia.

What is the rental market like in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

There are an estimated 757,656 housing units in the Philadelphia area. Of these, 366,564 units are rental homes, making up 48 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Philadelphia?

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

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Philadelphia
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
35,289 101,328 101,648 86,452 12,205
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Philadelphia

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

Among renter households in this market, 49 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 28 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 Philadelphia

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,303 to $2,422. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,303
One BR $1,451
Two BR $1,737
Three BR $2,100
Four BR $2,422
2024 Fair Market Rents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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

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 23,265 66 percent
One BR 69,716 69 percent
Two BR 59,298 58 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

How many affordable rental units are in Philadelphia?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 16,991
Public Housing 12,182
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 9,291
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 307
Section 236 Rental Assistance 16
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 2,392
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 256
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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

Income Based Apartments in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia features 24,738 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 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

There are 10,546 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Philadelphia.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,563 and $1,911.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.