CO · Housing Choice Voucher
Colorado Section 8 rent calculator
27,536 Colorado households rented with a tenant-based voucher at the end of 2025; Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver ran 6,076. The average household paid $481 a month toward rent and utilities.
Work out a Colorado voucher rent split
Monthly rent split
Enter your figures to see who pays what.
- You pay the owner
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- plus Voucher pays the owner
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- equals Owner receives
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- Your total share with utilities
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- Total tenant payment
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- Total assistance
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- Utility reimbursement
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- Gross rent
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- Above the payment standard
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When a Colorado voucher includes utility reimbursement
Assistance can exceed the rent paid to the owner when the approved allowance for tenant-paid utilities is greater than total tenant payment. The extra assistance is utility reimbursement. It is separate from the owner’s payment and does not promise that every actual utility bill will be covered.
Illustrative low-rent unit with tenant-paid utilities
The amounts below are hypothetical confirmed inputs, not a Colorado statewide allowance or a county payment schedule.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Rent to owner | $600 |
| Utility allowance | $150 |
| Applicable payment standard | $900 |
| PHA-determined total tenant payment | $100 |
| Gross rent | $750 |
| Total assistance | $650 |
| Assistance to owner | $600 |
| Utility reimbursement | $50 |
| Family rent to owner | $0 |
| Family share including the utility allowance | $100 |
The lower of $900 and $750, less $100, gives $650 total assistance. Only $600 goes to the owner; the remaining $50 is utility reimbursement. The PHA can pay that balance to the family or directly to a utility supplier. Confirm the recipient and payment frequency with your administering authority. Actual bills may differ from the $150 allowance.
For Colorado Division of Housing-administered vouchers, an exception payment standard request includes a completed utility allowance sheet and rent-reasonableness documentation. A ZIP benchmark alone does not establish an approved exception. Use the authority’s decision and effective allowance before entering this worksheet.
Federal owner payment and utility reimbursement rule · Total assistance calculation
Who runs vouchers in Colorado
Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver is the largest voucher agency in Colorado, ahead of Colorado Division of Housing (5,127 households) and 31 smaller agencies.
Boulder Housing Partners is a Moving to Work agency and can set its own rent rules; check its rent policy against this estimate.
Waits before admission averaged 1 months at Arvada Housing Authority and 146 at Longmont Housing Authority.
Average family payments ran from $353 at Housing Authority of the City of Lamar to $641 at Housing Authority of the City of Brighton.
- Households
- 27,536
- Avg. family payment
- $481
- Avg. yearly income
- $18,478
- Avg. wait
- 19 months
- 2-bed / 3+ bed units
- 35% / 30%
| Agency | Households | Avg. family payment | Avg. wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver CO001 | 6,076 | $506 | 15 mo |
| Colorado Division of Housing CO911 | 5,127 | $415 | 24 mo |
| Housing Authority of the City of Colorado Springs CO028 | 1,741 | $472 | 12 mo |
| Aurora Housing Authority CO052 | 1,552 | $524 | 7 mo |
| Jefferson County Housing Authority CO072 | 1,309 | $521 | 57 mo |
| Adams County Housing Authority CO058 | 1,285 | $482 | 5 mo |
| Lakewood Housing Authority CO049 | 1,252 | $533 | 7 mo |
| Housing Authority of the City of Pueblo CO002 | 1,020 | $436 | 8 mo |
| Housing Catalyst CO041 | 948 | $459 | 3 mo |
| Boulder County Housing Authority CO061 | 810 | $571 | 8 mo |
| Grand Junction Housing Authority CO051 | 805 | $475 | 5 mo |
| Boulder Housing Partners MTWCO016 | 799 | $556 | — |
Source: HUD Picture of Subsidized Households 2025; field notes.
FY2027 rent references for Colorado
HUD’s county workbook contains 64 location rows across 55 FMR areas in Colorado. The two-bedroom references range from $1,014 in Baca County (Baca County, CO) to $2,766 in Summit County (Summit County, CO). These are area references including utilities, not a statewide voucher amount.
Colorado metropolitan HUD areas
| HUD area | Rows | Studio | 1 bed | 2 beds | 3 beds | 4 beds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | 10 | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Boulder, CO MSA | 1 | $1,520 | $1,735 | $2,033 | $2,703 | $3,146 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA | 1 | $1,551 | $1,589 | $1,759 | $2,379 | $2,576 |
| Greeley, CO MSA | 1 | $1,240 | $1,307 | $1,647 | $2,281 | $2,753 |
| Colorado Springs, CO HUD Metro FMR Area | 1 | $1,129 | $1,380 | $1,621 | $2,245 | $2,574 |
| Teller County, CO HUD Metro FMR Area | 1 | $1,026 | $1,354 | $1,474 | $2,041 | $2,346 |
| Grand Junction, CO MSA | 1 | $893 | $1,017 | $1,282 | $1,775 | $2,143 |
| Pueblo, CO MSA | 1 | $879 | $978 | $1,263 | $1,611 | $1,891 |
The other 47 Colorado rows use 47 nonmetropolitan references, with two-bedroom amounts from $1,014 to $2,766; $1,014 applies to 4 of them.
64 location rows
| Location / HUD area | Studio | 1 bed | 2 beds | 3 beds | 4 beds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Alamosa County Alamosa County, CO | $853 | $949 | $1,149 | $1,570 | $1,920 |
| Arapahoe County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Archuleta County Archuleta County, CO | $1,253 | $1,260 | $1,542 | $2,135 | $2,577 |
| Baca County Baca County, CO | $753 | $775 | $1,014 | $1,404 | $1,575 |
| Bent County Bent County, CO | $854 | $879 | $1,150 | $1,592 | $1,786 |
| Boulder County Boulder, CO MSA | $1,520 | $1,735 | $2,033 | $2,703 | $3,146 |
| Broomfield County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Chaffee County Chaffee County, CO | $1,304 | $1,342 | $1,755 | $2,362 | $2,725 |
| Cheyenne County Cheyenne County, CO | $867 | $898 | $1,167 | $1,545 | $1,812 |
| Clear Creek County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Conejos County Conejos County, CO | $753 | $922 | $1,014 | $1,390 | $1,395 |
| Costilla County Costilla County, CO | $753 | $781 | $1,014 | $1,404 | $1,575 |
| Crowley County Crowley County, CO | $1,044 | $1,074 | $1,405 | $1,674 | $2,182 |
| Custer County Custer County, CO | $893 | $970 | $1,202 | $1,432 | $1,867 |
| Delta County Delta County, CO | $940 | $972 | $1,266 | $1,753 | $2,105 |
| Denver County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Dolores County Dolores County, CO | $989 | $1,224 | $1,332 | $1,716 | $2,068 |
| Douglas County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Eagle County Eagle County, CO | $1,815 | $1,993 | $2,607 | $3,106 | $4,357 |
| El Paso County Colorado Springs, CO HUD Metro FMR Area | $1,129 | $1,380 | $1,621 | $2,245 | $2,574 |
| Elbert County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Fremont County Fremont County, CO | $1,067 | $1,098 | $1,436 | $1,794 | $2,230 |
| Garfield County Garfield County, CO | $1,240 | $1,387 | $1,781 | $2,466 | $2,477 |
| Gilpin County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Grand County Grand County, CO | $1,370 | $1,464 | $1,844 | $2,197 | $2,617 |
| Gunnison County Gunnison County, CO | $1,222 | $1,276 | $1,437 | $1,990 | $2,231 |
| Hinsdale County Hinsdale County, CO | $978 | $1,013 | $1,316 | $1,696 | $2,044 |
| Huerfano County Huerfano County, CO | $829 | $859 | $1,116 | $1,438 | $1,733 |
| Jackson County Jackson County, CO | $1,103 | $1,143 | $1,485 | $1,913 | $2,306 |
| Jefferson County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Kiowa County Kiowa County, CO | $980 | $1,015 | $1,319 | $1,700 | $2,048 |
| Kit Carson County Kit Carson County, CO | $922 | $1,058 | $1,241 | $1,479 | $1,927 |
| La Plata County La Plata County, CO | $1,338 | $1,392 | $1,821 | $2,209 | $2,393 |
| Lake County Lake County, CO | $1,103 | $1,143 | $1,485 | $1,913 | $2,306 |
| Larimer County Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA | $1,551 | $1,589 | $1,759 | $2,379 | $2,576 |
| Las Animas County Las Animas County, CO | $959 | $1,000 | $1,291 | $1,620 | $1,719 |
| Lincoln County Lincoln County, CO | $795 | $818 | $1,070 | $1,482 | $1,662 |
| Logan County Logan County, CO | $928 | $955 | $1,249 | $1,650 | $1,707 |
| Mesa County Grand Junction, CO MSA | $893 | $1,017 | $1,282 | $1,775 | $2,143 |
| Mineral County Mineral County, CO | $1,103 | $1,143 | $1,485 | $1,913 | $2,306 |
| Moffat County Moffat County, CO | $910 | $936 | $1,225 | $1,586 | $1,992 |
| Montezuma County Montezuma County, CO | $953 | $1,025 | $1,280 | $1,772 | $1,988 |
| Montrose County Montrose County, CO | $995 | $1,054 | $1,321 | $1,829 | $2,208 |
| Morgan County Morgan County, CO | $937 | $964 | $1,261 | $1,746 | $1,959 |
| Otero County Otero County, CO | $787 | $810 | $1,059 | $1,359 | $1,770 |
| Ouray County Ouray County, CO | $1,218 | $1,507 | $1,640 | $2,271 | $2,547 |
| Park County Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA | $1,751 | $1,831 | $2,169 | $2,846 | $3,183 |
| Phillips County Phillips County, CO | $845 | $875 | $1,137 | $1,465 | $1,766 |
| Pitkin County Pitkin County, CO | $1,808 | $2,169 | $2,597 | $3,346 | $4,033 |
| Prowers County Prowers County, CO | $780 | $907 | $1,050 | $1,419 | $1,631 |
| Pueblo County Pueblo, CO MSA | $879 | $978 | $1,263 | $1,611 | $1,891 |
| Rio Blanco County Rio Blanco County, CO | $865 | $891 | $1,165 | $1,488 | $1,809 |
| Rio Grande County Rio Grande County, CO | $906 | $939 | $1,220 | $1,454 | $1,895 |
| Routt County Routt County, CO | $2,020 | $2,119 | $2,384 | $2,841 | $3,702 |
| Saguache County Saguache County, CO | $787 | $957 | $1,059 | $1,466 | $1,645 |
| San Juan County San Juan County, CO | $936 | $1,035 | $1,344 | $1,620 | $2,087 |
| San Miguel County San Miguel County, CO | $1,136 | $1,377 | $1,631 | $2,258 | $2,533 |
| Sedgwick County Sedgwick County, CO | $753 | $775 | $1,014 | $1,208 | $1,575 |
| Summit County Summit County, CO | $1,926 | $2,114 | $2,766 | $3,296 | $3,749 |
| Teller County Teller County, CO HUD Metro FMR Area | $1,026 | $1,354 | $1,474 | $2,041 | $2,346 |
| Washington County Washington County, CO | $963 | $991 | $1,297 | $1,545 | $1,705 |
| Weld County Greeley, CO MSA | $1,240 | $1,307 | $1,647 | $2,281 | $2,753 |
| Yuma County Yuma County, CO | $841 | $865 | $1,132 | $1,530 | $1,758 |
Source: HUD FY2027 county and town workbook, effective October 1, 2026 (notice); scope and dates. Section 8 fair market rents by ZIP code.
Colorado housing agency directory
The HUD Colorado contact report lists 59 agencies; these 36 run Section 8 or combined programs.
- Arvada Housing AuthorityCO050 · Section 8
- Aurora Housing AuthorityCO052 · Combined
- Boulder Housing PartnersCO016 · Combined
- Boulder County Housing AuthorityCO061 · Combined
- Housing Authority of the City of BrightonCO019 · Combined
- Center Housing AuthorityCO043 · Combined
- Housing Authority of the City of Colorado SpringsCO028 · Combined
- Housing Authority of the County of MontezumaCO079 · Combined
- Delta Housing AuthorityCO040 · Combined
- Colorado Division of HousingCO911 · Section 8
- Colorado Housing Finance AuthorityCO921 · Section 8
- Housing Authority of the City and County of DenverCO001 · Combined
- Sheridan Housing AuthorityCO057 · Section 8
- Englewood Housing AuthorityCO048 · Combined
- Housing CatalystCO041 · Combined
- Housing Authority of the City of FountainCO071 · Combined
- Larimer County Housing AuthorityCO103 · Section 8
- Grand Junction Housing AuthorityCO051 · Combined
- Housing Authority of Weld CountyCO090 · Section 8
- Housing Authority of the City of GreeleyCO035 · Combined
- La Junta Housing AuthorityCO031 · Combined
- Otero County Housing AuthorityCO101 · Section 8
- Lakewood Housing AuthorityCO049 · Section 8
- Housing Authority of the City of LamarCO006 · Combined
- Las Animas Housing AuthorityCO024 · Section 8
- Littleton Housing AuthorityCO036 · Combined
- Longmont Housing AuthorityCO070 · Combined
- Loveland Housing AuthorityCO034 · Section 8
- Montrose County Housing AuthorityCO087 · Section 8
- Colorado Bluesky Enterprises, Inc.CO888 · Section 8
- Housing Authority of the City of PuebloCO002 · Combined
- Garfield County Housing AuthorityCO095 · Section 8
- Rocky Ford Housing AuthorityCO045 · Section 8
- Trinidad Housing AuthorityCO005 · Combined
- Adams County Housing AuthorityCO058 · Combined
- Jefferson County Housing AuthorityCO072 · Combined
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Published · Reviewed · Editorial Team