Country guide

Airbnb investment in United States

36 United States short-term rental markets ranked by median annual revenue per listing. Data refreshes weekly from the latest Inside Airbnb snapshot.

The United States market at a glance

Medians across the 34 United States markets we hold live listing data for. Figures are converted to GBP so cities compare like for like.

Median occupancy
42%
Median daily rate
£108
Active listings
173,928
Markets covered
36

The spread matters more than the average: a median listing in Pacific Grove grosses £24,349 a year, against £5,840 in Albany. Which end of that range a property lands on depends on the street, not the country.

Short-let rules in United States

We hold verified regulation records for 3 United States markets. 3 require a licence or registration before you can let short-term. One caps the nights you can let each year — the tightest is San Francisco at 90 nights. None need planning consent for a change of use. Rules move faster than market data, so check the city page before you offer on anything.

Miami rulesSan Francisco rulesSanta Monica rules

United States cities ranked

#CityOccupancyDaily rateAnnual revenueActive listings
1Pacific Grove42%£239£24.3K191
2Santa Cruz County42%£210£20.3K1,368
3New Orleans60%£103£17.1K4,939
4San Francisco55%£121£17.1K4,491
5New York City60%£117£17.1K10,918
6Cambridge54%£130£16.7K813
7San Diego48%£137£16.5K9,541
8Jersey City56%£111£16.5K1,353
9Bozeman54%£130£16.0K464
10Nashville48%£127£15.9K7,697
11Seattle54%£115£14.8K5,378
12Rhode Island42%£206£14.3K4,262
13Denver58%£99£14.2K3,654
14Boston56%£112£13.8K2,541
15Chicago54%£111£13.0K6,086
16Los Angeles54%£122£12.3K23,969
17Washington Dc48%£97£12.3K4,576
18Portland60%£80£11.7K3,143
19San Mateo County36%£126£11.6K2,302
20Salem Or36%£94£11.2K247
21Hawaii30%£164£10.5K22,154
22Clark County Nv30%£111£10.4K10,947
23Columbus54%£88£10.3K2,366
24Fort Worth42%£92£10.3K1,490
25Dallas42%£99£9.9K4,435
26Twin Cities Msa42%£105£9.6K4,284
27Austin42%£100£9.1K7,933
28Broward County36%£102£8.5K11,860
29Asheville36%£102£8.0K2,220
30Oakland36%£85£6.4K1,449
31Rochester36%£78£6.3K754
32Santa Clara County36%£90£6.2K4,277
33Newark30%£77£6.0K1,455
34Albany36%£77£5.8K371
35Miami————
36Santa Monica————

United States short-let questions

Which United States city earns the most on Airbnb?

Pacific Grove. A median listing there grosses £24,349 a year, the highest of the 36 United States markets we track.

What occupancy should I expect in United States?

The median across United States markets with live data is 42%. Individual cities vary widely, and occupancy within a city varies more than between cities — the street matters more than the market.

Do I need a licence to run an Airbnb in United States?

In 3 of the 3 United States markets we hold regulation records for, yes — a licence or registration is required before letting short-term. The rule is set locally rather than nationally, so check the individual city page.

How many Airbnb listings are there in United States?

173,928 active listings across the 36 United States markets we track — counting only listings with at least one booking in the last 12 months, so dormant listings don't inflate the figure.

Methodology: per-city medians are computed from the latest Inside Airbnb snapshot, filtered to active listings (≥1 booking in the last 12 months). Annual revenue is the median per-listing gross.

From the same team

Already hosting? Meet HostPal

An AI concierge that answers your guests on WhatsApp 24/7 — in 50+ languages, from your own guidebook and house rules. Emergencies get escalated to you; the WiFi password doesn't. Live in under 10 minutes.

Try HostPal free for 7 days →