# Section 8 Vouchers by State: Households and Rates Compared

Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) households in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as a count and per 1,000 renter households, with average HUD payment, rent paid and waiting time.

Canonical page: https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers

## Key findings

- 2,301,736 households in the 50 states and the District of Columbia used a Housing Choice Voucher on December 31, 2025. California, New York and Texas had the most, with 316,630, 247,467 and 150,345 households. (https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers#voucher-households)
- The ten states with the most voucher households account for 58% of all voucher households, and California alone accounts for 14%. The median state has 27,752 voucher households, and nine states have fewer than 10,000. (https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers#voucher-concentration)
- Nationally, there are 50 voucher households for every 1,000 renter households, and the median state has 50. Vermont, Massachusetts and Louisiana have the highest rates, at 96, 87 and 84, and Arizona, Kansas and Idaho have the lowest, at 24, 28 and 32. (https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers#voucher-rate)
- Rank by household count and rank by rate differ. Of the ten states with the most voucher households, two are also among the ten with the highest rate. California ranks 1st by households and 21st by rate, New York ranks 2nd by households and 8th by rate and Texas ranks 3rd by households and 45th by rate. (https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers#voucher-rate-rank)
- The average monthly federal payment per voucher household ranges from $586 in Arkansas to $1,780 in California, with a median of $926. (https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers#voucher-hud-payment)
- The average monthly rent and utility contribution of a voucher household ranges from $346 in the District of Columbia to $625 in Hawaii, with a median of $451. (https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers#voucher-rent-paid)
- Households admitted to the program had waited 23 months on average in the median state, from 10 months in West Virginia and Wyoming to 62 months in Maryland. Seven states average 36 months or more: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. The figure covers households that were admitted and excludes agencies that do not report waiting list dates, so it does not predict the wait of a new applicant. Alaska did not report the figure. (https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers#voucher-waiting-time)
- Households headed by a female with children are 35% of voucher households in the median state, from 17% in Oregon to 53% in Alabama. (https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers#voucher-female-headed)

## Notes

- Households are occupied Housing Choice Voucher units under contract, counted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the Picture of Subsidized Households. Tenant-based and project-based vouchers are both included. Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands are excluded.
- The rate divides voucher households on December 31, 2025 by renter-occupied households in the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates (Census Bureau table B25003). The two sources are about a year apart.
- A rate describes how large the program is relative to the number of renters. It does not give the chance that a household receives a voucher, because many renters do not qualify and waiting lists may be closed.

## All states, highest rate first

| Rank | State | Voucher households per 1,000 renter households | Voucher households | Rank by households | Average HUD payment per month | Average months on waiting list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 96 | 7,308 | 44 | $1,069 | 17 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 87 | 92,714 | 6 | $1,735 | 31 |
| 3 | Louisiana | 84 | 49,303 | 16 | $906 | 28 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 82 | 39,936 | 17 | $1,435 | 41 |
| 5 | West Virginia | 77 | 13,890 | 34 | $590 | 10 |
| 6 | Maine | 74 | 12,080 | 36 | $1,077 | 34 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | 70 | 13,584 | 35 | $1,514 | 15 |
| 8 | New York | 69 | 247,467 | 2 | $1,643 | 40 |
| 9 | Maryland | 69 | 53,027 | 14 | $1,476 | 62 |
| 10 | Mississippi | 69 | 23,774 | 28 | $733 | 26 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 66 | 10,286 | 42 | $754 | 52 |
| 12 | New Jersey | 63 | 80,124 | 8 | $1,346 | 39 |
| 13 | Hawaii | 61 | 11,567 | 38 | $1,685 | 27 |
| 14 | Illinois | 61 | 100,284 | 5 | $1,150 | 22 |
| 15 | Oregon | 58 | 37,324 | 19 | $926 | 33 |
| 16 | Alabama | 57 | 33,845 | 22 | $838 | 22 |
| 17 | Ohio | 56 | 88,906 | 7 | $848 | 26 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 56 | 9,154 | 43 | $1,352 | 41 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 55 | 32,439 | 25 | $763 | 13 |
| 20 | Arkansas | 53 | 21,638 | 31 | $586 | 16 |
| 21 | California | 52 | 316,630 | 1 | $1,780 | 26 |
| 22 | North Dakota | 51 | 6,976 | 45 | $643 | 11 |
| 23 | Washington | 51 | 60,329 | 10 | $1,241 | 14 |
| 24 | Michigan | 51 | 55,684 | 11 | $858 | 31 |
| 25 | Minnesota | 50 | 33,538 | 23 | $1,110 | 25 |
| 26 | Iowa | 50 | 19,178 | 32 | $595 | 24 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | 47 | 78,218 | 9 | $1,012 | 23 |
| 28 | Indiana | 47 | 38,351 | 18 | $734 | 21 |
| 29 | Alaska | 47 | 4,272 | 50 | $830 | not reported |
| 30 | Missouri | 45 | 36,468 | 20 | $814 | 33 |
| 31 | Virginia | 45 | 50,810 | 15 | $1,086 | 27 |
| 32 | New Mexico | 45 | 11,108 | 39 | $795 | 17 |
| 33 | South Dakota | 44 | 5,318 | 48 | $662 | 15 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | 43 | 23,586 | 29 | $745 | 16 |
| 35 | Delaware | 42 | 4,510 | 49 | $1,073 | 43 |
| 36 | South Carolina | 42 | 25,614 | 27 | $810 | 17 |
| 37 | Nebraska | 40 | 11,083 | 40 | $758 | 19 |
| 38 | Colorado | 39 | 33,189 | 24 | $1,441 | 19 |
| 39 | Montana | 39 | 5,743 | 47 | $877 | 21 |
| 40 | Georgia | 38 | 54,636 | 13 | $1,213 | 22 |
| 41 | Florida | 38 | 109,826 | 4 | $1,644 | 32 |
| 42 | North Carolina | 37 | 54,738 | 12 | $844 | 21 |
| 43 | Tennessee | 35 | 34,404 | 21 | $1,015 | 24 |
| 44 | Wyoming | 35 | 2,532 | 51 | $693 | 10 |
| 45 | Texas | 35 | 150,345 | 3 | $1,154 | 21 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | 34 | 27,752 | 26 | $740 | 21 |
| 47 | Utah | 32 | 11,662 | 37 | $871 | 25 |
| 48 | Nevada | 32 | 15,671 | 33 | $1,321 | 23 |
| 49 | Idaho | 32 | 6,702 | 46 | $946 | 20 |
| 50 | Kansas | 28 | 10,705 | 41 | $715 | 19 |
| 51 | Arizona | 24 | 23,508 | 30 | $1,381 | 25 |

## Questions

### Which states have the most Section 8 voucher households?

2,301,736 households in the 50 states and the District of Columbia used a Housing Choice Voucher on December 31, 2025. California, New York and Texas had the most, with 316,630, 247,467 and 150,345 households. The ten states with the most voucher households account for 58% of all voucher households, and California alone accounts for 14%. The median state has 27,752 voucher households, and nine states have fewer than 10,000.

### Which states have the most vouchers compared with the number of renters?

Nationally, there are 50 voucher households for every 1,000 renter households, and the median state has 50. Vermont, Massachusetts and Louisiana have the highest rates, at 96, 87 and 84, and Arizona, Kansas and Idaho have the lowest, at 24, 28 and 32. Rank by household count and rank by rate differ. Of the ten states with the most voucher households, two are also among the ten with the highest rate. California ranks 1st by households and 21st by rate, New York ranks 2nd by households and 8th by rate and Texas ranks 3rd by households and 45th by rate.

### How long do households wait for a Section 8 voucher?

Households admitted to the program had waited 23 months on average in the median state, from 10 months in West Virginia and Wyoming to 62 months in Maryland. Seven states average 36 months or more: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. The figure covers households that were admitted and excludes agencies that do not report waiting list dates, so it does not predict the wait of a new applicant. Alaska did not report the figure.

## Suggested citation

Single Mother Guide. "Section 8 Vouchers by State: Households and Rates Compared." November 2026. https://singlemotherguide.com/research/section-8-vouchers