Section 8 Vouchers by State
As of December 31, 2025, 2,301,736 households in the 50 states and the District of Columbia used a Housing Choice Voucher, the program commonly known as Section 8. California had the most, with 316,630 households, followed by New York with 247,467 and Texas with 150,345.1
Households Using Section 8 Vouchers by State, 2025
The table below ranks states by the number of households using Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in 2025. It also compares household income, rent paid by households, HUD payments, and time on waiting lists.
Raw household counts largely reflect state size. For a population-adjusted comparison, see our research analysis of Section 8 vouchers, which compares voucher use per 1,000 renter households.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the ten states with the most voucher households account for 58% of all voucher households.1 Alabama has the highest share of voucher households headed by a female with children, at 53%, followed by Mississippi at 52%.
| RANK | STATE | HOUSEHOLDS | PEOPLE | AVERAGE INCOME | RENT PAID BY HOUSEHOLD | HUD PAYMENT | MONTHS ON WAITING LIST | FEMALE-HEADED WITH CHILDREN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 316,630 | 675,713 | $22,750 | $606 | $1,780 | 26 | 23% |
| 2 | New York | 247,467 | 528,606 | $22,400 | $565 | $1,643 | 40 | 24% |
| 3 | Texas | 150,345 | 376,445 | $17,636 | $455 | $1,154 | 21 | 43% |
| 4 | Florida | 109,826 | 270,651 | $20,232 | $538 | $1,644 | 32 | 36% |
| 5 | Illinois | 100,284 | 216,140 | $17,941 | $459 | $1,150 | 22 | 36% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 92,714 | 195,656 | $24,212 | $607 | $1,735 | 31 | 31% |
| 7 | Ohio | 88,906 | 194,576 | $14,713 | $392 | $848 | 26 | 39% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 80,124 | 176,653 | $22,571 | $556 | $1,346 | 39 | 30% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 78,218 | 171,474 | $18,177 | $463 | $1,012 | 23 | 36% |
| 10 | Washington | 60,329 | 128,807 | $19,485 | $476 | $1,241 | 14 | 27% |
| 11 | Michigan | 55,684 | 119,961 | $16,016 | $423 | $858 | 31 | 37% |
| 12 | North Carolina | 54,738 | 120,595 | $16,876 | $420 | $844 | 21 | 39% |
| 13 | Georgia | 54,636 | 139,250 | $18,223 | $458 | $1,213 | 22 | 43% |
| 14 | Maryland | 53,027 | 128,272 | $22,524 | $554 | $1,476 | 62 | 40% |
| 15 | Virginia | 50,810 | 112,635 | $20,330 | $505 | $1,086 | 27 | 38% |
| 16 | Louisiana | 49,303 | 115,380 | $15,913 | $411 | $906 | 28 | 45% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 39,936 | 88,827 | $22,124 | $596 | $1,435 | 41 | 35% |
| 18 | Indiana | 38,351 | 70,766 | $15,325 | $388 | $734 | 21 | 37% |
| 19 | Oregon | 37,324 | 62,631 | $16,397 | $431 | $926 | 33 | 17% |
| 20 | Missouri | 36,468 | 80,640 | $15,530 | $402 | $814 | 33 | 38% |
| 21 | Tennessee | 34,404 | 84,788 | $15,966 | $401 | $1,015 | 24 | 46% |
| 22 | Alabama | 33,845 | 84,858 | $16,642 | $423 | $838 | 22 | 53% |
| 23 | Minnesota | 33,538 | 89,279 | $20,024 | $505 | $1,110 | 25 | 40% |
| 24 | Colorado | 33,189 | 69,994 | $17,861 | $461 | $1,441 | 19 | 30% |
| 25 | Kentucky | 32,439 | 70,960 | $15,370 | $366 | $763 | 13 | 37% |
| 26 | Wisconsin | 27,752 | 54,390 | $17,409 | $436 | $740 | 21 | 31% |
| 27 | South Carolina | 25,614 | 50,510 | $16,808 | $427 | $810 | 17 | 44% |
| 28 | Mississippi | 23,774 | 59,109 | $16,024 | $401 | $733 | 26 | 52% |
| 29 | Oklahoma | 23,586 | 50,007 | $14,123 | $362 | $745 | 16 | 37% |
| 30 | Arizona | 23,508 | 58,462 | $16,726 | $435 | $1,381 | 25 | 35% |
| 31 | Arkansas | 21,638 | 44,327 | $14,856 | $369 | $586 | 16 | 37% |
| 32 | Iowa | 19,178 | 35,852 | $15,875 | $399 | $595 | 24 | 28% |
| 33 | Nevada | 15,671 | 37,607 | $17,860 | $473 | $1,321 | 23 | 35% |
| 34 | West Virginia | 13,890 | 24,922 | $13,940 | $369 | $590 | 10 | 29% |
| 35 | District of Columbia | 13,584 | 29,733 | $19,382 | $346 | $1,514 | 15 | 33% |
| 36 | Maine | 12,080 | 20,823 | $18,279 | $466 | $1,077 | 34 | 21% |
| 37 | Utah | 11,662 | 19,882 | $16,991 | $436 | $871 | 25 | 24% |
| 38 | Hawaii | 11,567 | 31,798 | $24,701 | $625 | $1,685 | 27 | 34% |
| 39 | New Mexico | 11,108 | 21,296 | $15,623 | $396 | $795 | 17 | 28% |
| 40 | Nebraska | 11,083 | 24,975 | $18,689 | $471 | $758 | 19 | 34% |
| 41 | Kansas | 10,705 | 21,240 | $16,205 | $407 | $715 | 19 | 29% |
| 42 | New Hampshire | 10,286 | 12,801 | $22,302 | $512 | $754 | 52 | 28% |
| 43 | Rhode Island | 9,154 | 20,100 | $21,675 | $580 | $1,352 | 41 | 38% |
| 44 | Vermont | 7,308 | 15,157 | $19,821 | $488 | $1,069 | 17 | 26% |
| 45 | North Dakota | 6,976 | 12,367 | $16,730 | $399 | $643 | 11 | 22% |
| 46 | Idaho | 6,702 | 14,488 | $17,811 | $456 | $946 | 20 | 27% |
| 47 | Montana | 5,743 | 10,355 | $16,346 | $398 | $877 | 21 | 22% |
| 48 | South Dakota | 5,318 | 10,163 | $15,909 | $388 | $662 | 15 | 28% |
| 49 | Delaware | 4,510 | 10,823 | $19,510 | $512 | $1,073 | 43 | 41% |
| 50 | Alaska | 4,272 | 8,449 | $22,090 | $594 | $830 | — | 22% |
| 51 | Wyoming | 2,532 | 4,263 | $17,978 | $451 | $693 | 10 | 22% |
Households are occupied voucher units under contract. Rent paid by household is the average monthly contribution toward rent and utilities. HUD payment is the average monthly federal payment per household, including an administrative amount. Months on waiting list is the average time between joining a waiting list and admission, and excludes agencies that do not report waiting list dates. Alaska did not report this figure.2
Large states rank highest because they have more renters. The ranking shows where the program is largest, not where a household is most likely to receive a voucher. Waiting lists may be closed, and a household applies through its local housing agency. See local housing authorities and Section 8 for how to apply.
How were these figures compiled?
- Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Picture of Subsidized Households, state file for December 31, 2025.1
- Programs counted: all Housing Choice Voucher types, tenant-based and project-based.
- Not included: public housing, Project-Based Section 8 contracts and other HUD programs. Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands are excluded from the ranking.
- Female-headed with children: the share of voucher households headed by a female with children.2
- Updates: HUD publishes new data once a year.
Footnotes
-
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Picture of Subsidized Households, state data for 2025. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Data Dictionary for Picture of Subsidized Households: 2025. ↩ ↩2
About this information
SingleMotherGuide.com is an independent state-by-state reference guide and is not affiliated with any government agency. Program amounts and income limits are compiled from official federal and state sources, which are cited on the page, and are reviewed periodically and updated as those sources change.
The information is provided for general guidance and is not legal or financial advice. The administering agency makes the final determination of eligibility and benefit amounts. To report an error, please contact us.
Data freshness
Figures on this page are compiled from the public sources cited above and may change; refer to the cited sources for the most current information.
- Last updated
- Updated by
- Ada Hu