Data sources & methodology

Every building on this site comes from public government files. We download them on a computer, normalize them, and commit the result. Netlify builds never call HUD or Census (those APIs rate-limit and would make deploys slow).

Buildings

• HUD LIHTC database — tax-credit apartments. HUD’s 2024 release (projects placed in service through 2024, file released April 2026). Buildings whose affordability period may have ended are labeled and ranked lower.
• HUD Multifamily Assisted Properties — project-based Section 8, Section 202 (seniors), Section 811 (disability). ArcGIS open data, last pulled October 2026. Includes on-site phones and HUD inspection scores when HUD publishes them. Scores are shown as “N/100” with the month — not as a pass/fail grade.
• HUD Public Housing Developments — public housing. ArcGIS open data, last pulled October 2026. Applications go through the housing authority named on the record, not a private person.
• USDA Rural Development multifamily (Section 515/514) — rural affordable rentals. File dated October 19, 2026. Reported vacant units, when present, are shown with that date and “call to confirm.”

The same building often appears in more than one file. We merge rows that share a normalized street address, or that are about 75 meters apart with similar names, and keep every program badge on the merged record.

We never copy individual staff names or emails from HUD files. We never ingest resident race/ethnicity or income-mix percentages.

ZIP geography

• Census ZCTA Gazetteer 2025 — ZIP Code Tabulation Area centroids (the map center for a ZIP).
• GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0) — ZIP to city, state, and county. Attribution required; this page and the footer credit GeoNames.

Nearby ZIPs are the closest Census centroids, precomputed. ZIPs without a Census centroid (many PO boxes) are not offered as neighbors.

Rents and income limits

• HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027, including Small Area FMR by ZIP where HUD publishes them. Otherwise we show the metro or county FMR and say so.
• HUD income limits FY2026 — 30% / 50% / 80% of area median income by household size.
• U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year 2020–2024 — median gross rent, median household income, renter share, and rent burden by ZCTA. Top-coded Census medians print as a floor with a plus (for example $3,500+).

“Income needed” on a ZIP page is the yearly household income at which that ZIP’s 2-bedroom fair market rent is 30% of income, rounded up to the nearest $100. It is a rule of thumb, not a program rule.

What we cannot know

None of these files is a vacancy list. Waiting lists, preferences, and whether a landlord will rent to you are local. Call the number on the card.

Last updated: November 8, 2026