Section 8 and HUD Exposure by ZIP: Vouchers, FHA Loans and the HUD Distress Score (2026)
The Section 8 and HUD card reads the federal footprint in a ZIP: how many housing-choice vouchers are in use, how many FHA loans are outstanding and for how much, what share of the mortgage stock they are, whether qualified census tracts sit inside the ZIP, and the owner-renter split with rent burden. The HUD distress score folds those into one number; this report gives the national totals and the ZIPs where the federal footprint is heaviest.
- 2,160,086 housing-choice vouchers and 7,654,698 FHA loans are counted across 33,774 ZIPs on the Section 8 and HUD card, with $1,439,555,109,136 of FHA unpaid balance.
- The average HUD distress score is 15.4; 372 ZIPs score 70 or higher, and 13,805 qualified census tracts sit inside scored ZIPs.
- 75126 in Kaufman County, TX scores 100.0 with 1,977 vouchers and 7,363 FHA loans.
- FHA concentration on the card is FHA loans as a share of the ZIP's mortgage stock, the thin-equity measure.
section-8-hud: the Section 8 and HUD card figures as of 2026-10-20; source HUD voucher counts, FHA loan data and Census tenure figures by ZIP.
| ZIP (county, state) | HUD distress 0-100 | Section 8 vouchers | FHA loans | FHA concentration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75126 (Kaufman, TX) | 100.0 | 1,977 | 7,363 | 494.8% |
| 33032 (Miami Dade, FL) | 100.0 | 1,049 | 4,773 | 1028.7% |
| 76123 (Tarrant, TX) | 100.0 | 847 | 2,921 | 2196.2% |
| 76227 (Denton, TX) | 100.0 | 715 | 5,153 | 963.2% |
| 33030 (Miami Dade, FL) | 100.0 | 617 | 1,024 | 4876.2% |
| 77449 (Harris, TX) | 100.0 | 564 | 8,651 | 273.9% |
| 30213 (Fulton, GA) | 100.0 | 530 | 4,815 | 16050.0% |
| 77396 (Harris, TX) | 100.0 | 489 | 3,317 | 7538.6% |
| 75409 (Collin, TX) | 100.0 | 455 | 2,418 | 490.5% |
| 78541 (Hidalgo, TX) | 100.0 | 407 | 1,559 | 1227.6% |
ZIPs by HUD distress score (section-8-hud, as of 2026-10-20)
ZIPs with the heaviest HUD footprint (Section 8 and HUD)
75126 in Kaufman County, TX: score 100.0, 1,977 vouchers, 7,363 FHA loans, FHA concentration 494.8%; 33032 in Miami Dade County, FL: score 100.0, 1,049 vouchers, 4,773 FHA loans, FHA concentration 1028.7%; 76123 in Tarrant County, TX: score 100.0, 847 vouchers, 2,921 FHA loans, FHA concentration 2196.2%; 76227 in Denton County, TX: score 100.0, 715 vouchers, 5,153 FHA loans, FHA concentration 963.2%; 33030 in Miami Dade County, FL: score 100.0, 617 vouchers, 1,024 FHA loans, FHA concentration 4876.2%; 77449 in Harris County, TX: score 100.0, 564 vouchers, 8,651 FHA loans, FHA concentration 273.9%.
What section-8-hud measures
Section 8 vouchers are HUD's housing-choice vouchers counted by ZIP. FHA loans and unpaid balance come from the FHA portfolio; FHA concentration is FHA loans as a share of the ZIP's mortgage stock. QCT tracts count qualified census tracts, where low-income housing credits are boosted. Owner and renter shares and the rent-burden figures come from the Census.
How section-8-hud is computed
Each input is scaled against the national distribution and combined into the HUD distress score, 0-100, where a high score marks a ZIP whose housing market depends heavily on federal programs and whose renters are burdened. The card is rebuilt when HUD and FHA data refresh.
How to use section-8-hud on a deal
For a landlord the card answers two questions: is there voucher demand here, and how fragile is the tenant base. A high voucher count with a moderate score is a stable voucher market; a high score with high rent burden warns of turnover. For an investor buying from a distressed owner, high FHA concentration means many neighbours have thin equity and FHA foreclosure rules apply.
Read section-8-hud on your ZIPs
The Section 8 radar ranks every ZIP by the same card; the live board shows it on each parcel beside the owner.
Section-8-hud refreshes with its source table.
Section 8 and HUD Exposure by ZIP: Vouchers, FHA Loans and the HUD Distress Score (2026): questions
Is a high HUD distress score bad for a rental?
It marks dependence and burden, not demand. Read it with voucher density and the FMR card before deciding.
Where do the voucher counts come from?
HUD's published voucher data, aggregated to the ZIP.
What is a QCT?
A qualified census tract, where at least half of households earn under sixty percent of area median income; projects there earn a credit boost.
More on the Section 8 and HUD card
Section 8 and HUD Exposure by ZIP: Vouchers, FHA Loans and the HUD Distress Score (2026) (section-8-hud) is computed from HUD voucher counts, FHA loan data and Census tenure figures by ZIP; the Section 8 and HUD card is research (section-8-hud), not legal advice; nothing on the section-8-hud page is tax or section-8-hud investment advice, so verify every section-8-hud figure with its issuing agency before acting.