Henderson County Housing Information

What is affordable housing in Henderson County?

Housing is one of our most basic human needs. Everyone needs a place to live, regardless of age, job, race, disability, income or position in life. But not everyone is living in affordable housing.

Affordable Housing means different things to different people. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines “affordable housing” as housing which consumes no more than 30% of a household’s monthly income, including utilities. This is the maximum a family should spend. Generally, when families or individuals spend more than 30% of their income on housing they do not have enough income to weather financial setbacks or meet other basic needs such as food, clothing and medical insurance.

The 2005 area median income for a household of 4 in Henderson County is $50,5001. HUD’s definition of income levels can be seen in the table below. HUD also defines fair market rent for an area. For a two-bedroom unit the fair market rent for Henderson County is $572. A low-income family would have to spend 54% of their monthly income for housing, instead of the suggested 30%, to be able to afford a two-bedroom unit in Henderson County.

Income Definition
Percent (%) of Area Median Income ($50,500)
Annual Income ($)
Monthly Income ($)
30 Percent of Monthly Income ($)
Fair Market Rent as a Percent (%) of Maximum Affordable Rent
Low
51 to 80
26,401
42,250
2,200
3,520
1,056
54
Very low
31 to 50
15,851
26,400
1,320
2,200
660
86
Extremely low
<30
15,850
1,320
396
144

1Department of Housing and Urban Development 2005

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