What HUD offices serve Schuylkill 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.
Go to the Pennsylvania Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Schuylkill County.
How many renters live in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania?
The County of Schuylkill County has 143,104 people living in 58,222 households.
There are 28,372 renters living in 13,229 renter households in this County. Renters make up 19.83 percent of the population living in Schuylkill County.
What is the rental market like in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania?
There are an estimated 67,328 housing units in the Schuylkill County area. Of these, 14,097 units are rental homes, making up 21 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Schuylkill County?
The rental vacancy rate in Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Schuylkill County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 425 | 3,355 | 3,631 | 3,877 | 1,700 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Schuylkill County
A large number of apartments in Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 39 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 22 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 Schuylkill County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $663 to $1,203. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $663 |
| One BR | $663 |
| Two BR | $858 |
| Three BR | $1,129 |
| Four BR | $1,203 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Schuylkill 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 | 324 | 76 percent |
| One BR | 2,017 | 60 percent |
| Two BR | 1,902 | 52 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
How many affordable rental units are in Schuylkill County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 519 |
| Public Housing | 1,117 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 414 |
| Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance | 65 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 427 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Schuylkill County features 3,307 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 Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
There are 336 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Schuylkill County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Schuylkill County landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Schuylkill County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania for a two-bedroom apartment is between $772 and $944.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
