Affordable Housing In Pittsburgh
Allegheny County,
Pennsylvania
210 Low Income Apartment Communities In Pittsburgh
The Legacy Apartments
Homewood House
Penn Mathilida Apartments
North Hills Highlands Phase 2
The New Riverview
Hillcrest Residences
Housing Authorities that serve Pittsburgh
| Housing Authority | Programs |
|---|---|
| Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh | Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Homeownership Voucher; Public Housing Homeownership; Family Self-Sufficiency; Moving to Work |
| Allegheny County Housing Authority | Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Family Self-Sufficiency |
Guide To Affordable Housing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
There are 210 low income housing apartment communities offering 16,588 affordable apartments for rent in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Income Based Apartments in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh features 13,247 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 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
There are 2,968 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Pittsburgh.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Pittsburgh landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Pittsburgh.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a two-bedroom apartment is between $801 and $979.
2020 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards
Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.
| Studio | One BR | Two BR | Three BR | Four BR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Market Rent | $661 | $727 | $890 | $1,137 | $1,248 |
| Payment Standard Range | $595 to $727 | $654 to $800 | $801 to $979 | $1,023 to $1,251 | $1,123 to $1,373 |
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
Pittsburgh, PA Affordable Housing Snapshot
| Total Affordable Apartment Properties | 210 |
|---|---|
| Total Low Income Apartments | 16,588 |
| Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance | 13,247 |
| Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters | 51.97% |
| Average Renter Household Size | 1.98 |
| Average Household Size | 2.13 |
| Median Household Income | $40,715 ±$685 |
| Median Rent | $810 ±$11 |
| Percentage Of Renters Overburdened | 47.08% ± 1.34pp |
| Total Population | 305,928 |
Population and Household Demographics
Pittsburgh is a City in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania with a population of 305,928. There are 132,468 households in the city with an average household size of 2.13 persons. 51.97% of households in Pittsburgh are renters.
Income and Rent Overburden in Pittsburgh
The median gross income for households in Pittsburgh is $40,715 a year, or $3,393 a month. The median rent for the city is $810 a month.
Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Pittsburgh, a household making less than $2,700 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 47.08% of households who rent are overburdened in Pittsburgh.1
Area Median Income In Pittsburgh
Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.
HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Pittsburgh, the AMI is calculated from all households within Allegheny County.
In Pittsburgh, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $79,900
Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.
Rental Assistance in Pittsburgh
Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.
Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Pittsburgh
| Income | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% of Median | $16,800 | $19,200 | $21,600 | $25,750 | $30,170 | $34,590 | $39,010 | $43,430 |
| 50% of Median | $28,000 | $32,000 | $36,000 | $39,950 | $43,150 | $46,350 | $49,550 | $52,750 |
| 80% of Median | $44,750 | $51,150 | $57,550 | $63,900 | $69,050 | $74,150 | $79,250 | $84,350 |
