; Low Income Apartments For Rent in Chicago, IL

Apply to Chicago Apartment Waiting Lists

Genesis Group Ada - Throop Inc

6848 S Ada St
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA

Pine Grove Apartments

3639 N Pine Grove Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA
BMIR

King Drive Apartments

4747 S King Dr
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA
BMIR

Pines of Edgewater

5439 N Kenmore Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA

Transforming Housing IV

6828 S Perry Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA

Edward M. Marx Apartments

5801 N Pulaski Rd
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
Senior
S. 202

Elois Mccoy Village Apartments

4650 W Van Buren St
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
Senior
S. 202
HOME

Genesis Group 5800 Inc

5800 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA

Lake Park Apartments

4048 S Lake Park Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA

Woolman - Washington Coop Apartments

2043 W Pierce Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA

Thorndale Manor

1020 W Thorndale Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA
BMIR

Long Grove House

2001 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA
BMIR

Logan Vistas

2600 N Kedzie Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
Senior
S. 202
BMIR

Logan and Kedzie Apartments

3142 W Logan Blvd
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
PBRA
BMIR

Liberty Commons

4835 S King Dr
Chicago, Illinois
Subsidized
Senior
S. 202
BMIR
Showing Results 151-165

There are 28,226 low-income apartments in Chicago that offer reduced rents to eligible households. Low-income rents in Chicago, Illinois can range from $716 to $2,525 depending on the number of bedrooms.

Rental assistance programs support 55,635 low-income homes in Chicago where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2024, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $350 towards rent each month.

Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on June 10th, 2024. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Chicago, Illinois

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.

Housing Authority Programs
Chicago Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Moving to Work; Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)
Go to the Illinois Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Chicago, Illinois

Chicago features 55,635 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 Chicago, Illinois

There are 28,226 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Chicago.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Chicago, Illinois

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Chicago landlords $900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Chicago.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Chicago, Illinois for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,543 and $1,885.

2024 Chicago, Illinois Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Studio One BR Two BR Three BR Four BR
Chicago, Illinois Fair Market Rent $1,399 $1,507 $1,714 $2,182 $2,583
Chicago, Illinois Payment Standard Range $1,259 to $1,539 $1,356 to $1,658 $1,543 to $1,885 $1,964 to $2,400 $2,325 to $2,841

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Chicago, IL Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 764
Total Low Income Apartments 85,411
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 55,635
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 55.71%
Average Renter Household Size 2.41
Average Household Size 2.57
Median Household Income $48,522 ±$405
Median Rent $965 ±$4
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 49.18% ± 0.56pp
Total Population 2,717,534

Population and Household Demographics

Chicago is a city in Cook County, Illinois with a population of 2,717,534. There are 1,035,436 households in the city with an average household size of 2.57 persons. 55.71% of households in Chicago are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Chicago

The median gross income for households in Chicago is $48,522 a year, or $4,044 a month. The median rent for the city is $965 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Chicago, a household making less than $3,217 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 49.18% of households who rent are overburdened in Chicago.

Area Median Income In Chicago

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Chicago, the AMI is calculated from all households within Cook County.

In Chicago, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $112,300

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Chicago

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Chicago

1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Person 8 Person
30% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 30% of the Chicago AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.
$23,200 $26,500 $29,800 $33,100 $35,750 $40,280 $45,420 $50,560
50% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 50% of the Chicago AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.
$38,650 $44,150 $49,650 $55,150 $59,600 $64,000 $68,400 $72,800
80% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 80% of the Chicago AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.
$61,800 $70,600 $79,450 $88,250 $95,350 $102,400 $109,450 $116,500