Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Tacoma, WA

Discover affordable housing in Tacoma where there are 102+ 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.

Sienna Park Apartments

10710 17th Ave South, Tacoma, Washington 98444

Mason Avenue Apartments

3808 S Mason Ave, Tacoma, Washington 98409

Parkland Manor

1756 106th St S, Tacoma, Washington 98444

The Woodmark

2425 S 96th St, Tacoma, Washington 98444

Catalina Apartments

1616S Yakima Ave, Tacoma, Washington 98405

Bay Terrace

2550 S G St, Tacoma, Washington 98405

Heatherstone

1809 105th St Ct S, Tacoma, Washington 98444

Eliza Mccabe Townhomes

2315 Yakima Ave, Tacoma, Washington 98405

Hillside Garden Townhomes

1708 S G St, Tacoma, Washington 98405

Fern Hill Terrace

214 S. 80th Street #A, Tacoma, Washington 98408

Marymount Manor Apartments

317 152nd Street East, Tacoma, Washington 98445

Orchard West Apartments

4866 S 48th St, Tacoma, Washington 98409

Hillside Terrace 2300 Block

2330 South G St, Tacoma, Washington 98405

Winthrop Apartments

776 Commerce St, Tacoma, Washington 98402

6th Avenue Apartments

2302 6th Ave, Tacoma, Washington 98403

Summit Apartments

11016 Waller Rd E, Tacoma, Washington 98446

Colonial Square Apartments

701 Commerce St, Tacoma, Washington 98402

Olympus Hotel

815 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, Washington 98402

Wright Street Apartments

602 S WRIGHT AVE, Tacoma, Washington 98418

Fawcett Apartments

3201 FAWCETT AVE, Tacoma, Washington 98418

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Tacoma, Washington
$37.63/hour
$21.35 (+131%) more than Washington minimum wage and $30.38 (+419%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Tacoma, Washington Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Tacoma, 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), Public Housing, Moving to Work, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) programs for Tacoma, Washington.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Tacoma, Washington.

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

How many renters live in Tacoma, Washington?

The City of Tacoma has 221,790 people living in 91,951 households.

There are 78,845 renters living in 40,263 renter households in this City. Renters make up 35.55 percent of the population living in Tacoma.

What is the rental market like in Tacoma, Washington?

There are an estimated 93,857 housing units in the Tacoma area. Of these, 40,593 units are rental homes, making up 43 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Tacoma, Washington, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Tacoma?

The rental vacancy rate in Tacoma 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 Tacoma for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Tacoma
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
4,426 12,248 16,790 5,640 954
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Tacoma

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

Among renter households in this market, 55 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 29 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 Tacoma

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,430 to $3,236. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,430
One BR $1,603
Two BR $1,987
Three BR $2,800
Four BR $3,236
2024 Fair Market Rents in Tacoma, Washington

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Tacoma?

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 3,245 73 percent
One BR 7,489 61 percent
Two BR 5,807 35 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Tacoma, Washington

How many affordable rental units are in Tacoma?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 5,256
Public Housing 5
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,306
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance 70
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 250
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Tacoma, Washington

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

Income Based Apartments in Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma features 2,609 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 Tacoma, Washington

There are 3,661 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Tacoma.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Tacoma, Washington

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Tacoma landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Tacoma.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Tacoma, Washington for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,788 and $2,186.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.