RA RentAssist Guide
Rental assistance, plain English

Find Rental Assistance Programs in your state.

A free, independent guide to every U.S. rental assistance program — Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, Public Housing, LIHTC, ERAP, USDA Section 521, HUD-VASH — organized by state, household size, and income limit. No accounts. No upsells. Just the rules.

Pick your state and household size to see your income limits

No personal info collected — your selection just routes you to the right page.

Use the income calculator How eligibility works
Illustration of multifamily rental housing with renters of different ages and backgrounds
Public Housing Agencies
474+
across all 50 states
Voucher holders (est.)
3,215,550
Section 8 HCV nationwide
Public housing units
1,059,240
PHA-owned and operated
Programs covered
12
federal + supportive housing
Metro areas
119
with FMR detail
Where most renters start

The largest state rental assistance programs

View all 50 states →
Browse

All 50 states

Open the directory →
By household size

Income limits by family size

Hub page →

HUD income limits scale with household size — a 1-person ceiling is 70% of the 4-person figure; an 8-person ceiling is 132%. Pick your household size to see the national table and the rules for each AMI tier.

By program

Federal program types

All programs →
50% AMI cap Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)
Local Public Housing Agency

Tenant-based federal rental subsidy that lets eligible households rent privately-owned housing of their choice. The household pays roughly 30% of adjusted income tow…

80% AMI cap Public Housing
Local Public Housing Agency

Government-owned rental housing operated by local PHAs. About 970,000 units nationwide. Households pay roughly 30% of adjusted income; the PHA owns and maintains the…

50% AMI cap Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)
Property owner under HUD contract

Subsidy attached to a specific apartment building rather than the household. Tenants apply directly to the property, pay roughly 30% of income, and lose the subsidy …

60% AMI cap Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
Property owner / state housing finance agency

The largest source of new affordable rental housing in the U.S. Owners receive federal tax credits in exchange for capping rents and reserving units for households a…

80% AMI cap HOME Investment Partnerships Program
State or local housing agency

Federal block grant to state and local governments to fund affordable rental construction, rehabilitation, and tenant-based rental assistance. Programs vary by juris…

80% AMI cap USDA Rural Development Section 521
USDA Rural Development

Rental assistance for tenants in USDA-financed (Section 515) rural rental properties. Households in eligible rural areas pay roughly 30% of income toward rent.…

50% AMI cap Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV)
Local Public Housing Agency

Created by the American Rescue Plan Act (2021) to help households fleeing domestic violence, experiencing homelessness, or at imminent risk of homelessness. Function…

30% AMI cap Continuum of Care (CoC)
Local CoC lead agency

HUD's primary homeless assistance program. Funds permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, and transitional housing through local Continuums of Care.…

Major metros

Find your city's Fair Market Rent

All metros →
New York, NY
Pop. 8,336,000

2BR FMR $2,275

Los Angeles, CA
Pop. 3,979,000

2BR FMR $2,090

Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,693,000

2BR FMR $1,542

Houston, TX
Pop. 2,320,000

2BR FMR $1,456

Phoenix, AZ
Pop. 1,680,000

2BR FMR $1,685

Philadelphia, PA
Pop. 1,584,000

2BR FMR $1,485

San Antonio, TX
Pop. 1,547,000

2BR FMR $1,374

San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,424,000

2BR FMR $2,620

Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,343,000

2BR FMR $1,628

San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,027,000

2BR FMR $3,245

Austin, TX
Pop. 979,000

2BR FMR $1,750

Jacksonville, FL
Pop. 911,000

2BR FMR $1,525

How this guide works

One source for the federal, state, and local pieces of rental assistance

RentAssist Guide pulls together the federal, state, and county-level pieces of America's rental assistance system into one browseable directory. Every page uses the same source data: HUD's published Public Housing Agency contact records, Fair Market Rent (FMR) tables, Income Limit datasets, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition's state housing profiles.

Most renters don't know that "Section 8" is just one of more than a dozen rental assistance programs, or that the income that qualifies a family in rural Mississippi (about $35,000 for a family of four) is roughly half of what qualifies the same family in Honolulu (about $89,000). We organize the rules state by state, household size by household size, and metro by metro so you can see what actually applies to you.

Start by finding your state, then look at the federal program list to understand what kind of help exists. The income limits hub explains how HUD calculates eligibility and links to a dedicated page for every state-by-household-size combination. The income calculator lets you plug in your numbers to see which AMI tier you fall into. The how to apply page walks through the Public Housing Agency application process, and about waiting lists explains why most lists are closed and what to do about it. If you're already in crisis, jump straight to Emergency Housing Vouchers or Continuum of Care.

Independent guide. RentAssist Guide is not affiliated with HUD, USDA, the VA, or any government agency. We don't take applications, we don't charge for information, and we never sell your data. Always confirm current figures with your local Public Housing Agency before applying.