What HUD offices serve Kanawha County, West Virginia?
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 West Virginia Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Kanawha County.
How many renters live in Kanawha County, West Virginia?
The County of Kanawha County has 175,515 people living in 78,246 households.
There are 52,391 renters living in 26,501 renter households in this County. Renters make up 29.85 percent of the population living in Kanawha County.
What is the rental market like in Kanawha County, West Virginia?
There are an estimated 90,444 housing units in the Kanawha County area. Of these, 28,829 units are rental homes, making up 32 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Kanawha County, West Virginia, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Kanawha County?
The rental vacancy rate in Kanawha County is 8 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 Kanawha County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Kanawha County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 339 | 6,266 | 11,780 | 6,394 | 1,682 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Kanawha County
A large number of apartments in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 38 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 18 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 Kanawha County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $688 to $1,324. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $688 |
| One BR | $816 |
| Two BR | $994 |
| Three BR | $1,300 |
| Four BR | $1,324 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Kanawha County, West Virginia
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Kanawha 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 | 173 | 51 percent |
| One BR | 4,339 | 69 percent |
| Two BR | 7,004 | 59 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Kanawha County, West Virginia
How many affordable rental units are in Kanawha County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Kanawha County, West Virginia including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 1,257 |
| Public Housing | 1,447 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 1,437 |
| Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance | 18 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 84 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 43 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 338 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Kanawha County, West Virginia
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Kanawha County, West Virginia
Kanawha County features 3,128 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 Kanawha County, West Virginia
There are 1,247 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Kanawha County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Kanawha County, West Virginia
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Kanawha County landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Kanawha County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Kanawha County, West Virginia for a two-bedroom apartment is between $895 and $1,093.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
