What HUD offices serve Pittsburgh, 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.
Go to the Pennsylvania Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Pittsburgh.
How many renters live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?
The City of Pittsburgh has 302,905 people living in 136,444 households.
There are 129,565 renters living in 69,139 renter households in this City. Renters make up 42.77 percent of the population living in Pittsburgh.
What is the rental market like in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?
There are an estimated 161,999 housing units in the Pittsburgh area. Of these, 77,714 units are rental homes, making up 48 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Pittsburgh?
The rental vacancy rate in Pittsburgh is 7 percent. This is a higher than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are high it means that there are a lot of available units and rents tend to be lower.
How many rental units are in Pittsburgh for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Pittsburgh
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,975 | 26,169 | 22,351 | 11,156 | 2,405 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Pittsburgh
A large number of apartments in Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 41 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 23 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 Pittsburgh
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $917 to $1,605. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $917 |
| One BR | $965 |
| Two BR | $1,161 |
| Three BR | $1,474 |
| Four BR | $1,605 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Pittsburgh?
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 | 2,346 | 39 percent |
| One BR | 11,872 | 45 percent |
| Two BR | 9,120 | 41 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
How many affordable rental units are in Pittsburgh?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 4,546 |
| Public Housing | 3,064 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 5,924 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 367 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 106 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh features 11,603 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 4,341 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 $1,045 and $1,277.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
