APAH Housing Facts

Affordable Housing in Arlington

Information about the loss of affordable housing in our community

The Washington DC Metro Area is the 9th most expensive rental market in the county.

	Fair Market Rents	Minimum Hourly Wage Required to Rent	Minimum Annual Income Required To Rent
1 Bedroom	$ 1,168.00	$ 22.46	$46,720.00
2 Bedroom	$ 1,324.00	$ 25.46	$52,960.00
3 Bedroom	$ 1,708.00	$ 32.85	$68,320.00

This chart represents the minimum hourly and annual wage a household must earn to afford fair market rents for 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments in the DC metro area.

The Virginia Association of Realtors reports than the average market value of a house in Northern VA is $538,463. At this price, a household would need a yearly income of about $122,300 to afford the average market value of a home in Northern Virginia.

Median Household Income in DC Metro Area

Median Household Income in Washington DC -- $99,000
Median Household Income in Arlington County -- $94,876

Median Income	$ 94,876
Low Income	$ 61,500
Very Low Income	$ 49,200
30% of Area Median	$ 29,500

e.g. "A family of four living in the DC Metro Area with an annual income of $61,500 is considered Low-Income."

Average Rents for Apartments in Arlington County

	Number of Units	Average Rent
efficiency	3,924	$ 1,191.00
1 Bedroom	21,779	$ 1,407.00
2 Bedroom	12,693	$ 1,874.00
3 Bedroom	1,576	$ 2,278.00
4 Bedroom	17	n/a
TOTAL	39,989	1,576

Rents for all apartment sizes have increased by between 3% and 18% between 2006 and 2007.

To keep up with increasing rents in the area, a household must have an innual income increase of about 4.98%

Total Committed Affordable Units in Arlington County -- 5,757

Arlington County estimates that over half of the total housing considered affordable in 2000 is now unaffordable. This equals a loss of about 9,700 affordable homes.

Since only 4% of rental apartments in Arlington have 3 bedrooms, and only .04% have 4 bedrooms, this loss of affordability has particularly effected the housing options for low-income families in Arlington.

Affordable Housing and Homelessness

Between 2004-2007 in Arlington there has been a 16.5% increase in individuals in homelessness.

73.6% of Arlington's homeless population in families are employed. This suggests that a greater availability of affordable homes would directly impact the number of families in homelessness in Arlington.

Sources
HOME Virginia House Snapshot
Arlington County Housing Division
The Urban Institute
Center for Housing Policy

Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing
2704 North Pershing Drive • Arlington, Virginia 22201
Tel: (703) 276-7444 • Fax: (703) 276-0805
Contact Us • www.apah.org