In Salem, subsidized apartments are filling up quickly, while in Portland nearly 1,900 income-restricted units remain empty. Officials say lower rents and active voucher matching in Marion County help people move into Salem units faster.
Salem’s vacancy rate: what the numbers show
As of last Friday, Salem Housing Authority’s 200+ affordable apartments had a 2.6% vacancy rate. Agency leaders said about half of the empty units already have people ready to move in. Some SHA properties, including Parkway East and Parkway West, reported no openings at all, and the authority budgets for a 3 to 5 percent vacancy cushion to allow for repairs and tenant approvals. Those local details were reported by Salem Reporter and are consistent with the authority’s property overview.
Why Portland’s picture looks different
Portland’s numbers tell a very different story. Late-2025 estimates found about 1,863 subsidized apartments vacant in the city, roughly a 7.4% vacancy rate, a figure traced back to CoStar data and widely reported locally. Reporters and housing operators point to a combination of administrative bottlenecks, needed repairs and the reality that many 60% AMI rents in Portland have climbed close to market rates, making market apartments easier and faster to lease. Local coverage from KPTV and Willamette Week lays out those causes and the city’s efforts to “activate” empty units.
Rents and application rules help explain Salem’s edge
State rent tables show a clear gap between the two metros. A 60% AMI rent figure in Marion County appears around $973 for certain unit sizes, while Multnomah County’s comparable 60% rent averages nearer $1,303, a spread that makes subsidized leases in Salem relatively more attractive. Those limits are published in the Oregon Housing and Community Services county rent documents for 2025. SHA staff and local reporters also note that confusing application rules and strict income verification can push some eligible households toward market rentals with simpler sign-up processes, a dynamic described in reporting by Salem Reporter.
New projects will add units, but demand still outpaces supply
New development is expanding Salem’s stock. Gussie Belle Commons is under development as a roughly 120-unit affordable project in northeast Salem, and Mahonia Crossings added 313 apartments to south Salem when it opened last year. Project pages from the developer and the housing authority provide those counts and timelines, while the authority’s Mahonia Crossings listing describes on-site services and the agency’s role. Even with these additions, SHA leaders say voucher holders and families on waiting lists still outnumber available openings…