Fort Worth vs Hawaii: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Fort Worth edges ahead of Hawaii on higher occupancy (26.8% vs 15.9%).

Head-to-head metrics

	Fort Worth	Hawaii
Median occupancy	26.8%	15.9%
Median daily rate	£142	£284
Median RevPAR	£39	£46
Active listings	1,704	23,915
YoY occupancy	-3.9 pts	-0.5 pts
YoY daily rate	+53.4%	+72.6%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Fort Worth vs Hawaii

Fort Worth finishes clearly ahead of Hawaii on our composite of occupancy, revenue per available night and regulation risk — and it is the calendar rather than the price tag doing the work. Fort Worth sells 10.9 more points of its calendar — 26.8% median occupancy against 15.9% in Hawaii. Fort Worth is the less crowded of the two — 1,704 active listings to 23,915 — so a well-run property has fewer near-identical rivals to out-rank. Those gaps are wide enough to survive a normal year's variance.

The two markets reach their revenue by different routes, which is what makes this pairing worth reading rather than just tabulating. Hawaii is the rate market: £284 a night against £142, some 100% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 15.9% occupancy. Fort Worth is the volume market, filling 26.8% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £46 in Hawaii against £39. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Hawaii is not simply the weaker market of the two. Hawaii commands 100% more per night, £284 against £142. Nightly rates are also climbing faster in Hawaii, +72.6% over the last year against +53.4% in Fort Worth. If your model leans on nightly rate rather than volume, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Fort Worth nor Hawaii currently has a verified short-term rental regulation record in our register, so the comparison above is a yield comparison only. Regulation is the single largest source of downside in this asset class — an unverified market is an unpriced risk, not an absent one.

The two calendars also behave differently. Fort Worth peaks in September at 46% and bottoms in December at 24.1%; Hawaii runs from 49.4% in October down to 28.6% in May. Both swing by a similar amount across the year, so neither offers meaningfully steadier cash flow than the other.

Who each suits, then. Fort Worth suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry and whose economics survive high turnover — more bookings, more cleans, more guest contact per pound of revenue. It is the contrarian side: buying it means buying a market that has cooled. Hawaii answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal: it is the market for an owner who can hold rate through the shoulder season rather than discounting to fill the calendar. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, dated 2026-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 1,704 active Fort Worth listings and 23,915 in Hawaii.

Frequently asked questions

Is Fort Worth or Hawaii better for Airbnb investment?

Fort Worth, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (26.8% vs 15.9%), a thinner competitive field (1,704 vs 23,915 active listings), and a lower price point (£142 a night vs £284). Hawaii is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a higher nightly rate (£284 vs £142).

Which has higher occupancy, Fort Worth or Hawaii?

Fort Worth, at 26.8% median occupancy against 15.9% in Hawaii — a gap of 10.9 points. That is a wide spread by short-term rental standards and usually reflects a structural demand difference rather than better hosting. Over the last twelve months Fort Worth shed 3.9 points and Hawaii shed 0.5 points, so the gap is closing.

Which has higher nightly rates, Fort Worth or Hawaii?

Hawaii, at £284 a night against £142 in Fort Worth — roughly 100% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £46 in Hawaii against £39, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Fort Worth or Hawaii?

Neither is growing on occupancy — both cooled over the last year. Fort Worth gave up 3.9 points and Hawaii 0.5, so Hawaii is the shallower decline rather than the winner. Nightly rates rose 53.4% in Fort Worth and rose 72.6% in Hawaii over the same window.

Which is the bigger Airbnb market, Fort Worth or Hawaii?

Hawaii, with 23,915 active listings against 1,704 in Fort Worth. Size cuts both ways: a deep market gives you comparables, contractors and an exit, while a thinner one means fewer near-identical rivals competing for the same search results.

How much can you earn from an Airbnb in Fort Worth vs Hawaii?

Hawaii earns more: roughly £16,727 a year for a median listing against £14,081 in Fort Worth. Those are gross booking revenues before cleaning, management, platform fees, furnishing amortisation and tax — budget for a meaningful share of them, and note that a median listing is a median operator, not a good one.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide

Airbnb in Fort Worth →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Hawaii →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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