How many subsidized housing units are available in Illinois?
Refreshed annually
In 2025, about 231,200 subsidized housing units were available in Illinois. Approximately 12 percent of these were unoccupied and available to rent. 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).
In 2025
231K
subsidized housing units existed in Illinois
In 2025
27.7K
subsidized housing units were unoccupied and available to rent
In 2025
12%
of all subsidized housing units were available to rent
The number of available subsidized housing units varies throughout Illinois. Administered by local public housing authorities (PHAs), availability is shaped by local policy and factors like geography (e.g., urban vs. rural vs. suburban), need, and more.
In 2025, Alexander County had the most subsidized housing units per 10K people.
Subsidized housing units per 10,000 people (2025)
What types of subsidized housing are available in Illinois?
Subsidized housing can take different forms — from high-rise buildings to garden-style apartments to single-family dwellings, duplexes, and more — but all are accessed via eight different housing assistance programs under HUD. These are classified as either public housing; tenant-based programs; or privately-owned, project-based housing.
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Tenant-based programs — known today as the Housing Choice Voucher program — are the most common form of housing assistance. Housing vouchers allow recipients to choose their own housing in the private market, provided it meets program requirements. Nationally, tenant-based programs account for approximately 55% of the subsidized housing stock. In Illinois, tenant-based programs account for 51% of the subsidized housing stock.
Privately-owned, project-based programs provide subsidized housing in larger, multifamily housing developments through agreements between landlords and HUD, and account for 31% of all subsidized housing in Illinois.
Tenant assistance was the most common type of housing program in 2025.
Share of subsidized housing units in Illinois, by program (2025)
The remainder of subsidized units — 17% of the total — are public housing, where units are built and managed by local housing agencies.
Subsidized housing units per 10,000 people (2025)
| 1. | Alexander County, IL | 534 |
| 2. | Hardin County, IL | 410 |
| 3. | Jackson County, IL | 364 |
| 4. | Vermilion County, IL | 343 |
| 5. | Pulaski County, IL | 334 |
| 6. | Pope County, IL | 332 |
| 7. | Peoria County, IL | 319 |
| 8. | Rock Island County, IL | 316 |
| 9. | McDonough County, IL | 311 |
| 10. | Macon County, IL | 299 |
How Can the Government Help with Affordable Housing?
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
