Since its founding in 2008, the popular accommodation service Airbnb has grown to a multi-billion dollar company and allowed investment property owners to rent out their homes, apartments and condominiums to guests all over the country. Investment property owners in cities both large and small have been able to benefit from tourists booking through Airbnb, but which areas have the greatest concentration of Airbnb properties?
We were able to determine the cities with the most Airbnb properties per capita by using data from short-term rental analytics database, AirDNA. Listing data was analyzed from more than 750 cities across the country and cities were then ranked by the number of Airbnb listings per 50,000 people.
Florida: Airbnb’s Hot Spot
Not only is Florida a hot spot for travelers looking to escape dreary winters, but it is also home to seven cities with the most Airbnbs per capita. Miami Beach comes it at No. 1 with more than 3,400 Airbnb listings per 50,000 people.
With Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Studios in its backyard, it’s probably no surprise that Kissimmee, FL. comes in at No. 2 on our list. Walt Disney World alone draws an average annual attendance of more than 52 million visitors, making it the most-visited vacation resort in the world, according to Disney World. And all of those visitors need a place to stay while they’re taking in the sights and sounds of Mickey, Goofy and friends.
For the nation’s No. 4 Airbnb “hot spot” destination, we jump across the country to the beer-lover’s paradise of Bend, OR. Florida makes another appearance on the list with Daytona Beach at No. 5, while Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando round out the top 10. It’s safe to say there’s no shortage of Airbnb properties the next time you’re planning a visit to the Sunshine State.
Airbnb Growth
Along with looking at cities with the most Airbnbs, we also analyzed which major metro cities were experiencing the most and least growth in terms of number of rental listings since 2017. For this list, we looked at cities with a population of 500,000 or more. The list of cities that have experienced that most growth is quite diverse in terms of location, geography and culture. Charlotte comes in at No. 1, which has seen a 120% increase in Airbnb listings since 2017. The full list of top 10 cities are as follows:
- Charlotte, N.C.: 120.4%
- Fresno, CA: 119.4%
- Jacksonville, FL: 117.5%
- Fort Worth, TX: 101.5%
- Dallas, TX: 95.2%
- El Paso, TX: 93.8%
- Columbus, OH: 88.2%
- San Antonio, TX: 76.9%
- Memphis, TN: 75.2%
- Sacramento, CA: 73.5%
While these cities have seen tremendous growth, other cities such as Chicago and Austin, have experienced limited growth. In San Francisco, New York and Washington D.C., listings have actually decreased. Some of these cities have been dealing with tighter regulations and restrictions on Airbnbs, which may be the reason for these stagnant numbers.
Whether you’re an investment property owner, or just a tourist looking to plan your next trip, this list may help guide the way in finding out where to stay, or where to invest. Click here to learn more about how a 1031 Exchange can help preserve and grow your assets when selling and buying investment properties.
Methodology
In October 2019, we researched more than 750 cities across the country to determine our list of cities with the most Airbnb properties per capita. Listings were analyzed within each city’s metropolitan statistical area, which includes suburbs and surrounding areas. We gathered Airbnb data using short-term rental analytics from AirDNA. From there, we calculated active listings per capita and visualized the data per 50,000. To determine cities with the most and least growth, we calculated the increase and decrease of listings since 2017.
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