Twenty-three percent occupancy is dire — I've seen seasonal coastal towns in Wales do better in January. What makes Austin genuinely puzzling right now is that operators have somehow pushed the median nightly rate up to $229, an 81% jump year-on-year, yet beds are emptier than ever, down nearly five points over two years with over 8,000 listings competing for the same shrinking pool of guests. The market's classic oversupply trap: everyone repriced upward to cover costs, demand didn't follow, and the maths quietly stopped working. Texas has relatively light STR regulation compared to most US cities, so supply won't self-correct through licensing pressure anytime soon. Unless you're buying something genuinely differentiated — an event-week property near the Circuit of the Americas, say — I'd be very cautious putting
Year-over-year performance
Compared to the closest snapshot from approximately 12 months ago, the Austin short-term rental market has shifted in measurable ways. Occupancy among active listings is down 1.7 points, while the median daily rate is up 81.7 percent.
Looking further back: Two years ago, 4.9 points higher.
When Austin Airbnbs perform best
Occupancy in Austin peaks in September at 50% and bottoms out in December at 29%, a 21-point swing across the year. Price the peak, defend the shoulder months with minimum-stay rules, and budget the trough as empty.
| Month | Occupancy | Median nightly rate |
|---|---|---|
| January | 29% | — |
| February | 29% | — |
| March | 32% | — |
| April | 35% | — |
| May | 34% | — |
| June | 39% | — |
| July | 45% | — |
| August | 45% | — |
| September | 50% | — |
| October | 50% | — |
| November | 34% | — |
| December | 29% | — |
Looking ahead, 41% of the next 30 nights are already booked across the market, 35% of the next 60 and 34% of the next 90 (as of 2026-10-18).
How Austin compares to United States
Benchmarked against 34 other United States markets we track, Austin's metrics tell a clear story.
What kind of Airbnbs are in Austin?
Of the 8,061 active operating listings, 88.7% are entire homes (vs private rooms), and 59.3% are operated by Airbnb Superhosts.
Top neighborhoods in Austin
The 43 neighborhoods we track range from established tourist hotspots to emerging investment zones. Here are the 10 strongest by median annual revenue per listing, led by 78702 at £24,885 a year.
| Neighborhood | Listings | Occupancy | Annual revenue | RevPAR | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78702 | 1,037 | 32.9% | £24,885 | £68 | +1.9 pts YoY |
| 78732 | 50 | 21.4% | £23,768 | £65 | +5 pts YoY |
| 78736 | 55 | 21.4% | £22,965 | £63 | -9.8 pts YoY |
| 78721 | 258 | 29.6% | £22,683 | £62 | +3.3 pts YoY |
| 78737 | 152 | 21.4% | £21,704 | £59 | -3.3 pts YoY |
| 78722 | 142 | 33.7% | £21,046 | £58 | +4.1 pts YoY |
| 78734 | 231 | 18.1% | £19,644 | £54 | +0 pts YoY |
| 78730 | 24 | 9.1% | £19,551 | £54 | +0.9 pts YoY |
| 78704 | 1,209 | 24.7% | £18,012 | £49 | +0 pts YoY |
| 78746 | 109 | 16.4% | £17,846 | £49 | +3.2 pts YoY |
Frequently asked questions
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