Low Income Apartments For Rent in Chapel Hill, NC

Rental assistance programs support 521 low-income homes in Chapel Hill where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2024, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $299 towards rent each month.

Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on July 2nd, 2024. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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
Town of Chapel Hill Department of Housing	Public Housing
Durham Housing Authority	Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Family Self-Sufficiency; Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV); Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)
Chatham County Housing Authority	Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)
Orange County Housing Authority	Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)

Go to the North Carolina Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Chapel Hill.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill features 521 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 Chapel Hill, North Carolina

There are 281 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Chapel Hill.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Chapel Hill landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Chapel Hill.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,468 and $1,794.

2024 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 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
Chapel Hill, North Carolina Fair Market Rent	$1,385	$1,418	$1,631	$2,051	$2,510
Chapel Hill, North Carolina Payment Standard Range	$1,247 to $1,524	$1,276 to $1,560	$1,468 to $1,794	$1,846 to $2,256	$2,259 to $2,761

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Chapel Hill, NC Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 39

Total Low Income Apartments 825

Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 521

Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 53.16%

Average Renter Household Size 2.30

Average Household Size 2.41

Median Household Income $62,208 ±$3,128

Median Rent $1,003 ±$32

Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 50.14% ± 4.08pp

Total Population 58,766

Total Affordable Apartment Properties	39
Total Low Income Apartments	825
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance	521
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters	53.16%
Average Renter Household Size	2.30
Average Household Size	2.41
Median Household Income	$62,208 ±$3,128
Median Rent	$1,003 ±$32
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened	50.14% ± 4.08pp
Total Population	58,766

Population and Household Demographics

Chapel Hill is a city in Durham County, North Carolina with a population of 58,766. There are 20,335 households in the city with an average household size of 2.41 persons. 53.16% of households in Chapel Hill are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Chapel Hill

The median gross income for households in Chapel Hill is $62,208 a year, or $5,184 a month. The median rent for the city is $1,003 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Chapel Hill, a household making less than $3,343 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 50.14% of households who rent are overburdened in Chapel Hill.

Area Median Income In Chapel Hill

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 Chapel Hill, the AMI is calculated from all households within Durham County.

In Chapel Hill, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $116,200

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 Chapel Hill

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 Chapel Hill

	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 Chapel Hill AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.	$21,250	$24,300	$27,350	$30,350	$35,140	$40,280	$45,420	$50,560
50% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 50% of the Chapel Hill AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.	$35,400	$40,450	$45,500	$50,550	$54,600	$58,650	$62,700	$66,750
80% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 80% of the Chapel Hill AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.	$56,650	$64,750	$72,850	$80,900	$87,400	$93,850	$100,350	$106,800