State overview
Section 8 & Affordable Housing in California
This page is a directory of federal housing data for California: the housing authorities that run the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program here, the counties with published HUD income limits and Fair Market Rents, and the properties HUD records as assisted or affordable. Every figure comes from a named federal dataset, and each one’s refresh date is listed at the foot of this page. Data last updated October 4, 2026.
- Housing authorities
- 96
- Counties with income limits
- 58
- HUD-recorded properties
- 6,392
- Fair Market Rent areas (FY2027)
- 51
What these records do and do not tell you
A HUD record is not evidence that a home is available. None of the federal datasets behind this page publishes vacancies, waiting-list status, or whether a property is accepting applications today. A property appears here because it has a federal subsidy contract, is public housing, or received low-income housing tax credits — not because it has somewhere to rent. Availability, rent, eligibility and whether vouchers are accepted must be confirmed directly with the property or the administering housing authority.
Waiting-list status is the single most useful fact for most people reading this, and no federal dataset contains it. It exists only on each authority’s own notices, so this site shows a waiting list as open or closed only where a person has checked it and recorded the source.
Applying through a housing authority is always free. If any site asks you to pay to apply for Section 8, do not pay.
California at a glance
| Housing authorities recorded by HUD | 96 |
|---|---|
| Housing Choice Vouchers under contract | 369,819 |
| Public housing developments | 141 (23,190 dwelling units) |
| HUD-assisted multifamily properties | 1,795 (118,874 assisted units) |
| Tax-credit (LIHTC) properties | 4,456 |
| Counties with FY2026 income limits | 58 |
| Fair Market Rent areas | 51 |
Counties in California
Income limits and Fair Market Rents are set per county or HUD area, so the figures that apply to you depend on where you live. Each county guide shows that county’s FY2026 limits, its Fair Market Rents and the authority that administers Section 8 there.
Where this information comes from
- HUD Public Housing Authorities · U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development · source updated 18 August 2026 · retrieved 22 September 2026
- HUD Multifamily Properties – Assisted · U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development · source updated 21 July 2026 · retrieved 22 September 2026
- HUD Public Housing Developments · U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development · source updated 21 July 2026 · retrieved 22 September 2026
- HUD Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Properties · U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development · source updated 14 May 2025 · retrieved 22 September 2026
- HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 · U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (HUD User) · source updated 1 September 2026 · retrieved 4 October 2026
- HUD Section 8 Income Limits FY2026 · U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research · source updated not published by the provider · retrieved 22 September 2026
Sources: HUD Public Housing Authorities (retrieved 22 September 2026); HUD Multifamily Properties – Assisted (retrieved 22 September 2026); HUD Public Housing Developments (retrieved 22 September 2026); HUD Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Properties (retrieved 22 September 2026); HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (retrieved 4 October 2026); HUD Section 8 Income Limits FY2026 (retrieved 22 September 2026).
These federal datasets do not show vacancies, waiting-list status or whether a landlord accepts vouchers (about our data).