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
29.6%
Median daily rate
£177
Active listings
178,369
Markets covered
36

The spread matters more than the average: a median listing in Pacific Grove grosses £35,550 a year, against £7,091 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 Grove30.7%£332£35.5K186
2Santa Cruz County26.3%£345£30.2K1,425
3New Orleans49.3%£175£27.9K4,619
4San Francisco36.2%£194£27.3K4,543
5Nashville31.2%£238£26.1K7,945
6San Diego34%£223£26.0K9,608
7Bozeman31.2%£222£24.6K455
8Boston31.8%£212£22.3K2,830
9Chicago35.1%£171£21.6K6,325
10Jersey City37.8%£190£21.0K1,628
11New York City32.9%£152£20.1K10,670
12Seattle32.9%£184£20.1K5,958
13Portland37.8%£134£19.6K2,945
14Rhode Island18.1%£286£19.6K4,449
15Denver36.4%£146£19.4K3,519
16Asheville27.9%£183£19.4K2,257
17Cambridge32.9%£187£18.4K911
18San Mateo County24.7%£200£17.9K2,237
19Los Angeles29.6%£182£17.5K24,491
20Washington Dc31.2%£167£17.3K4,661
21Hawaii15.9%£284£16.7K23,915
22Columbus32.9%£138£16.7K2,357
23Austin23%£181£15.7K8,061
24Salem Or29.6%£124£15.2K233
25Twin Cities Msa23%£168£14.9K4,268
26Fort Worth26.8%£142£14.1K1,704
27Dallas24.1%£153£13.5K4,855
28Broward County18.1%£180£12.7K12,088
29Clark County Nv21.4%£172£11.9K10,915
30Oakland19.7%£137£10.7K1,411
31Rochester21.9%£124£9.5K742
32Newark19.7%£121£9.0K1,313
33Santa Clara County16.4%£142£8.4K4,454
34Albany18.1%£120£7.1K391
35Miami————
36Santa Monica————

United States short-let questions

Which United States city earns the most on Airbnb?

Pacific Grove. A median listing there grosses £35,550 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 29.6%. 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?

178,369 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 →