Low Income Apartments For Rent in Watertown, MA

Rental assistance programs support 220 low-income homes in Watertown where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2024, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $476 towards rent each month.

Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on June 24th, 2024. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Watertown, Massachusetts

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
Watertown Housing Authority	Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV)
Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities	Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Moving to Work
Massachusetts Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Centralized Waiting List	Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)

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

Watertown, Massachusetts Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Watertown, Massachusetts

Watertown features 220 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 Watertown, Massachusetts

There are 145 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Watertown.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Watertown, Massachusetts

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Watertown landlords $1,100 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Watertown.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Watertown, Massachusetts for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,544 and $3,110.

2024 Watertown, Massachusetts 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
Watertown, Massachusetts Fair Market Rent	$2,212	$2,377	$2,827	$3,418	$3,765
Watertown, Massachusetts Payment Standard Range	$1,991 to $2,433	$2,139 to $2,615	$2,544 to $3,110	$3,076 to $3,760	$3,389 to $4,142

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Watertown, MA Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 11

Total Low Income Apartments 369

Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 220

Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 47.95%

Average Renter Household Size 2.28

Average Household Size 2.30

Median Household Income $87,409 ±$4,273

Median Rent $1,593 ±$51

Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 39.37% ± 5.55pp

Total Population 33,350

Total Affordable Apartment Properties	11
Total Low Income Apartments	369
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance	220
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters	47.95%
Average Renter Household Size	2.28
Average Household Size	2.30
Median Household Income	$87,409 ±$4,273
Median Rent	$1,593 ±$51
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened	39.37% ± 5.55pp
Total Population	33,350

Population and Household Demographics

Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts with a population of 33,350. There are 14,357 households in the city with an average household size of 2.30 persons. 47.95% of households in Watertown are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Watertown

The median gross income for households in Watertown is $87,409 a year, or $7,284 a month. The median rent for the city is $1,593 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Watertown, a household making less than $5,310 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 39.37% of households who rent are overburdened in Watertown.

Area Median Income In Watertown

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 Watertown, the AMI is calculated from all households within Middlesex County.

In Watertown, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $149,300

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 Watertown

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 Watertown

	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 Watertown AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.	$31,150	$35,600	$40,050	$44,500	$48,100	$51,650	$55,200	$58,750
50% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 50% of the Watertown AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.	$51,950	$59,400	$66,800	$74,200	$80,150	$86,100	$92,050	$97,950
80% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 80% of the Watertown AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.	$82,950	$94,800	$106,650	$118,450	$127,950	$137,450	$146,900	$156,400