How many renters live in Washington?
The State of Washington has 927,380 people living in 351,652 households.
There are 294,443 renters living in 126,732 renter households in this State. Renters make up 31.75 percent of the population living in Washington.
What is the rental market like in Washington?
There are an estimated 371,149 housing units in the Washington area. Of these, 133,772 units are rental homes, making up 36 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Washington, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Washington?
The rental vacancy rate in Washington 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 Washington for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Washington
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,511 | 29,566 | 53,277 | 27,639 | 6,158 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Washington
A large number of apartments in Washington 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 Washington are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 52 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 24 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 many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Washington?
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 | 4,692 | 72 percent |
| One BR | 17,011 | 58 percent |
| Two BR | 17,763 | 33 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Washington
How many affordable rental units are in Washington?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Washington including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 8,854 |
| Public Housing | 126 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 1,621 |
| Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance | 70 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 309 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 19 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 120 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Washington
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Washington
Washington features 43,268 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 Washington
There are 82,708 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Washington.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Washington
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Washington landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Washington.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Washington for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,788 and $2,186.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
