Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Thurston County, WA

Discover affordable housing in Thurston County where there are 40+ 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.

Evergreen Vista Apartments

1209 Fern St SW, Olympia, Washington 98502

Rainier Apartments

202 Edward Street , Yelm, Washington 98597

Boardwalk Apartments

410 & 510 Capitol Way N, Olympia, Washington 98501

Evergreen Vista II

1225 Fern St SW, Olympia, Washington 98502

Deschutes Cove Apartments

7201 Henderson Blvd. SE, Olympia, Washington 98501

Salmon Run Apartments

10720 Vancil Rd SE, Yelm, Washington 98597

Killion Court

405 Killion Ct NW, Yelm, Washington 98597

Quixote Village

3350 MOTTMAN RD SW, Olympia, Washington 98512

Tolmie Cove

7245 32nd Ave NE, Olympia, Washington 98516

Sandstone

298 S Ritter St, Tenino, Washington 98589

Prairie Run Apartments

205 Mountain View Rd SE, Yelm, Washington 98597

Orchard Apartments

500 McKenzie Ave SW, Yelm, Washington 98597

Magnolia Villa

1410 Magnolia St SE, Lacey, Washington 98503

South Sound Villa Apartments

4101 Lacey Blvd SE, Lacey, Washington 98503

Forest Grove Apartments

5701 30th Ave SE, Lacey, Washington 98503

Casa Madrona

3948 Martin Way E, Olympia, Washington 98506

Providence St Francis House

3415 12th Ave NE, Olympia, Washington 98506

Martin Terrace

7917 Martin Way E., Lacey, Washington 98503

Crowne Pointe Apartments

2800 Limited Lane Northwest, Olympia, Washington 98502

Ashwood Downs Apartments

1900 Ashwood Downs Ln SE, Olympia, Washington 98501

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Thurston County, Washington
$34.13/hour
$17.85 (+110%) more than Washington minimum wage and $26.88 (+371%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Thurston County, Washington Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Thurston County, Washington?

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), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV) programs for Thurston County, Washington.

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

How many renters live in Thurston County, Washington?

The County of Thurston County has 298,758 people living in 118,571 households.

There are 82,337 renters living in 39,563 renter households in this County. Renters make up 27.56 percent of the population living in Thurston County.

What is the rental market like in Thurston County, Washington?

There are an estimated 121,682 housing units in the Thurston County area. Of these, 39,684 units are rental homes, making up 33 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Thurston County, Washington, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Thurston County?

The rental vacancy rate in Thurston 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 Thurston County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Thurston County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
2,532 11,590 13,753 9,152 1,574
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Thurston County

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

Among renter households in this market, 52 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 Thurston County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,341 to $3,058. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,341
One BR $1,554
Two BR $1,802
Three BR $2,531
Four BR $3,058
2024 Fair Market Rents in Thurston County, Washington

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Thurston 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 1,093 43 percent
One BR 6,291 54 percent
Two BR 6,292 46 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Thurston County, Washington

How many affordable rental units are in Thurston County?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 2,933
Public Housing 70
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 403
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 40
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 59
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 233
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Thurston County, Washington

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

Income Based Apartments in Thurston County, Washington

Thurston County features 789 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 Thurston County, Washington

There are 2,388 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Thurston County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Thurston County, Washington

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Thurston County landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Thurston County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Thurston County, Washington for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,622 and $1,982.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.