How many people live in subsidized housing in Washington, DC?
About 49,352 residents in subsidized housing in 2023, or about 1.9 people per unit. Subsidized housing options vary by location, ranging from high-rise or garden-style apartments to single-family dwellings, duplexes, and more. On average, residents in 2023 have lived in their units for twenty-nine years.
Showing data for
In 2023
49.4K
people lived in subsidized housing in Washington, DC
In 2023
7.3%
of the Washington, DC population lived in subsidized housing
Federally subsidized rental housing began with 1937’s US Housing Act, which created the United States Housing Authority and provided financial assistance to state and local governments for housing low-income people. Since then, the government has provided housing assistance to low-income renters through programs overseen by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
People who live in subsidized housing share one thing: incomes low enough to qualify for housing assistance. In 2023, HUD classified 96% of households in subsidized housing in the District of Columbia as very low income and 85% as extremely low income. The average household in subsidized housing earned $19,076 in annual income. Across all subsidized housing, 66% of households earned less than $20,000.
34% of households with subsidies earned more than $20K in annual income.
Washington, DC, 2023
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Renters in subsidized housing earned income from different sources. Welfare was the main income source for 8% of households. According to HUD and the Census Bureau, “welfare” included the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, general assistance, or emergency assistance payments. Another 26% of households earned the majority of their income through wages, salaries, and business income. Finally, for 55% of households living in subsidized housing, the majority of income came from other sources. This broad category included Social Security payments, insurance benefits, pensions, interest or dividends, and payments in lieu of salary like worker’s compensation, severance, unemployment, or disability. The remaining 11% of households had income sources that were unaccounted for in the data.
Welfare assistance programs were the primary source of income for 8% of households in subsidized housing.
Washington, DC, 2023
Households living in subsidized housing contribute to their rent. In 2023, households living in subsidized housing in the District of Columbia paid average monthly rent of $396, which translates to an average of $4,752 per year, or approximately 25% of the average household’s annual income. HUD contributed $1,252 per household per month, on average.
Households that qualify for housing subsidies have a variety of family structures. HUD data focused on homes with children, female-headed households, and households that include people with disabilities. In 2023:
- 29% of households had one or more children under 18 years, and about 97% of these households were headed by single parents.
- 75% of households were headed by women, and 28% were headed by women with children.
- 19% of all people living in subsidized housing had a disability.
In the District of Columbia, 97% of households that lived in subsidized housing were headed by people belonging to minority groups, which the Census Bureau defines as anyone whose race and ethnicity is anything other than “white alone, non-Hispanic.”
Subsidized households were most often headed by those 62 and older.
Washington, DC, 2023
Thirty-nine percent of households living in subsidized housing in the District of Columbia are headed by people age 62 and older, the youngest age when people can qualify for Social Security. People aged 25 to 50 are considered “prime-age workers,” and households led by this group make up 37% of all households in subsidized housing. This data highlights the significant presence of both older adults and prime-age workers in subsidized housing, reflecting the diverse age demographics of those who rely on housing assistance.
