How many subsidized housing units are available in South Dakota?
Data updated August 27, 2024
About 13,952 subsidized housing units in South Dakota in 2023. Approximately 17% 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).
Showing data for
In 2023
14K
subsidized housing units existed in South Dakota
In 2023
2.4K
subsidized housing units were unoccupied and available to rent
In 2023
17%
of all subsidized housing units were available to rent
There were about 11,454 occupied subsidized housing units in 2022, and around 111,963 occupied rental units — subsidized and unsubsidized — in South Dakota. That means 10.2% of all occupied rentals in South Dakota were provided by housing assistance programs. In 2022, 18% of all subsidized units in South Dakota were vacant, compared with 5.8% of all rental properties.
The number of available subsidized housing units varies throughout South Dakota. Administered by local public housing authorities (PHAs), availability is shaped by local policy, geography (urban, rural, and suburban areas), need, and other factors.
In 2023, Walworth County had the most subsidized housing units per 10K people.
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, also known as the Housing Choice Voucher program, are the most common form of housing assistance, providing 6,996 housing units in South Dakota in 2023. Housing vouchers allow recipients to choose their own housing in the private market, provided it meets program requirements. These vouchers account for 50.1% of the subsidized housing stock in South Dakota.
Tenant assistance was the most common type of housing program in 2023.
Privately-owned, project-based programs provide subsidized housing in larger, multifamily housing developments through agreements between landlords and HUD, and account for 0.39% of all subsidized housing in South Dakota.
The remainder of subsidized units — 10.91% of the total — are public housing, where units are built and managed by local housing agencies.
