Key takeaways
- NYCHA is in a class of its own, with about 260,000 vouchers and public housing units, more than three times the next-largest agency.
- Chicago, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles and New York State's HCR round out the top five.
- Four of the 27 largest are state agencies that run voucher programs statewide: New York, Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
- Many big agencies are converting public housing to Section 8 through RAD, which shifts spending toward redevelopment, construction and property management.
Public housing authorities (PHAs) are local public agencies that run HUD's rental assistance programs. The largest ones manage tens of thousands of units and spend heavily on maintenance, construction, security, software and services. This list ranks the biggest by the vouchers and public housing units they manage.
The largest US public housing authorities
Ranked by Housing Choice Vouchers plus public housing units. The first column shows the area each agency serves.
| # | Housing authority | Vouchers + public housing | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)New York City | About 260,900107,979 vouchers + 152,926 public housing units (FY2026 plan) | NY | Largest housing authority in the country by far, serving more than 511,000 residents, with the largest Section 8 program (about 110,000 households). Converting public housing to Section 8 through its PACT program. |
| 2 | Chicago Housing Authority (CHA)City of Chicago | 72,32059,813 vouchers + 12,507 public housing units | IL | Serves about 65,500 households; a Moving to Work agency with one of the largest voucher programs in the US. |
| 3 | Puerto Rico Public Housing Administration (PRPHA)Commonwealth of Puerto Rico | 62,04212,435 vouchers + 49,607 public housing units | PR | HUD's inspector general calls it the second-largest public housing authority, by public housing units. |
| 4 | Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA)City of Los Angeles | 58,62252,645 vouchers + 5,977 public housing units | CA | Second-largest voucher program after NYCHA. |
| 5 | New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR)State of New York (statewide voucher program) | 51,38351,383 vouchers + 0 public housing units | NY | State housing agency; runs its voucher program through local administrators across the state, including New York City. |
| 6 | NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)New York City | 38,47238,472 vouchers + 0 public housing units | NY | The city housing department's own Section 8 program, separate from NYCHA's. |
| 7 | Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA)City of Philadelphia | 34,70423,374 vouchers + 11,330 public housing units | PA | One of the largest public housing landlords in the country; a Moving to Work agency. |
| 8 | Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA)Los Angeles County | 29,94127,077 vouchers + 2,864 public housing units | CA | Serves unincorporated LA County and dozens of cities outside Los Angeles. |
| 9 | Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA)State of Michigan (statewide voucher program) | About 29,000 familiesAgency figure for households assisted with vouchers | MI | Calls itself the largest statewide public housing agency in the country, with vouchers in all 83 counties. Stopped issuing new vouchers in September 2024 because of a funding shortfall. |
| 10 | Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community DevelopmentMiami-Dade County | 27,58821,436 vouchers + 6,152 public housing units (agency plan) | FL | County department; largest housing agency in Florida. |
| 11 | Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC)City of Baltimore | 26,33920,755 vouchers + 5,584 public housing units | MD | Moving to Work agency; redeveloping older public housing through RAD and mixed-finance deals. |
| 12 | Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA)Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) | Up to 24,782 households15,857 vouchers plus public housing | OH | Largest housing authority in Ohio; converting public housing through RAD. |
| 13 | New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA)State of New Jersey (statewide voucher program) | 24,65224,652 vouchers + 0 public housing units | NJ | State agency running vouchers statewide alongside local housing authorities. |
| 14 | Boston Housing Authority (BHA)City of Boston | 24,63616,651 vouchers + 7,985 public housing units (2025 plan) | MA | Largest public landlord in New England. |
| 15 | Atlanta HousingCity of Atlanta | 23,56221,510 vouchers + 2,052 public housing units | GA | Moving to Work agency that has replaced most traditional public housing with mixed-income communities and vouchers. |
| 16 | DHA Housing Solutions for North TexasDallas Housing Authority | 23,30120,330 vouchers + 2,971 public housing units | TX | Vouchers can be used across a multi-county area around Dallas. |
| 17 | Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC)Commonwealth of Massachusetts (statewide voucher program) | 22,47522,475 vouchers + 0 public housing units | MA | State agency; administers vouchers through regional nonprofit agencies. |
| 18 | DC Housing Authority (DCHA)District of Columbia | 21,70716,356 vouchers + 5,351 public housing units | DC | Moving to Work agency with a large capital backlog in its public housing. |
| 19 | Houston Housing AuthorityCity of Houston | 20,96318,741 vouchers + 2,222 public housing units | TX | Largest housing authority in Texas by vouchers. |
| 20 | Seattle Housing AuthorityCity of Seattle | 17,53312,545 vouchers + 4,988 public housing units | WA | Moving to Work agency; also owns a large portfolio of locally funded affordable housing. |
| 21 | San Francisco Housing AuthorityCity and County of San Francisco | 16,56816,237 vouchers + 331 public housing units (2026 plan) | CA | Has converted nearly all of its public housing to private management under RAD. |
| 22 | San Diego Housing CommissionCity of San Diego | 16,34516,158 vouchers + 187 public housing units | CA | Moving to Work agency and a major affordable housing developer. |
| 23 | King County Housing AuthorityKing County, outside Seattle | 13,68111,299 vouchers + 2,382 public housing units | WA | Moving to Work agency serving suburban King County. |
| 24 | Santa Clara County Housing AuthoritySanta Clara County (San Jose) | 12,47712,477 vouchers + 0 public housing units | CA | Moving to Work agency serving Silicon Valley. |
| 25 | Housing Authority of the County of San BernardinoSan Bernardino County | About 11,70011,633 vouchers + a small public housing portfolio | CA | Moving to Work agency since 2008; also owns more than 2,000 non-public-housing units. |
| 26 | Orange County Housing AuthorityOrange County | 11,58611,586 vouchers + 0 public housing units | CA | County agency; voucher-only. |
| 27 | Housing Authority of the County of RiversideRiverside County | 10,21210,212 vouchers + 0 public housing units | CA | Rated a high performer by HUD. |
Sources: HUD Picture of Subsidized Households (start of 2024), as compiled by Affordable Housing Online; agency annual and Moving to Work plans where noted; Michigan State Housing Development Authority; HUD Office of Inspector General. Voucher counts are authorized vouchers, not all of which are in use. MSHDA and Cuyahoga are ranked on agency-reported figures.
How to read the numbers
- Vouchers are Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), which pay part of a tenant's rent to a private landlord. Big voucher programs mean big landlord-outreach, inspection and payment operations.
- Public housing units are apartments the authority owns and manages. These drive maintenance, capital construction, security and property-management spending.
- RAD conversions are moving public housing into project-based Section 8 contracts, often with private development partners. An agency's public housing count can drop sharply while its construction spending rises.
- Moving to Work agencies have HUD waivers that let them blend funding and set local policies, so their budgets and programs can look different from other PHAs.
What's changing in 2026
Voucher funding has been tight. In December 2025, HUD directed housing agencies to stop issuing new vouchers to stay within their budgets, and HUD ended the Emergency Housing Voucher program on April 9, 2026. Several large agencies had already paused new vouchers. For sellers, that means more scrutiny on administrative spending, and more interest in tools that cut costs, speed inspections or improve rent collection.
What housing authorities buy
- Maintenance and repairs: unit turnover, plumbing, pest control, elevators, roofing, HVAC and lead and mold remediation.
- Capital construction: modernization and redevelopment funded by HUD's Capital Fund, RAD conversions and mixed-finance deals.
- Security: guard services, cameras, access control and lighting.
- Technology: housing and voucher management software, resident and landlord portals, accounting systems and cybersecurity.
- Inspections and services: NSPIRE inspections, energy audits, legal services, resident services and workforce programs.
How housing authorities buy
Because they spend federal money, PHAs follow the federal procurement standards in 2 CFR 200 along with HUD's procurement rules and state and local law. Small purchases can use quotes; larger ones go out as public bids or RFPs, and big contracts need approval from the agency's board of commissioners. Many PHAs also buy through cooperative contracts; see our cooperative purchasing directory.
- Read the PHA plan. Every agency files annual and five-year plans with HUD, and Moving to Work agencies publish detailed MTW plans. They list capital projects, RAD conversions and priorities.
- Watch board agendas. Commissioners approve contracts, so agendas show what's being bought and when.
- Follow the Capital Fund. HUD's annual Capital Fund awards pay for modernization; see our government grant deadlines for related federal programs.
- Register as a vendor. Most large PHAs run their own supplier portals in addition to city, county or state systems; see our state procurement portals.
- Reach the right departments. Procurement, asset management, capital construction, voucher operations, IT and public safety are the usual buyers.
How KSG helps
Kensington Sales Group's SDRs book meetings with public agencies across Federal, SLED, K-12 & Higher Ed, Healthcare, Tribal, Special Districts and Utilities, including housing authorities. We find the procurement, operations, IT and capital teams at each agency and time outreach to PHA plans and board cycles. See how our B2G lead generation works.
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