The 100 Best Places to Buy Vacation Rental Property in the United States

Read our updated post on the Best Places to Invest in Vacation Rentals in 2020+2021 here

If you want to expand your vacation rental portfolio — or even purchase your very first property — knowing the best places to buy vacation rental property is the first step to growing your business.  Not all short-term rental markets are created equal, and there can even be dramatic differences across neighborhoods and zip codes within the same city.

To give you a head start, we’ve crunched the numbers to determine where the biggest investment opportunities exist with a list of the top 100 markets for vacation rental properties in the United States.

As the world's leading provider of vacation rental data and analytics, AirDNA tracks the daily performance of 10 million Airbnb and HomeAway listings across 80,000 markets globally.

How We Determined the Best Places to Buy Vacation Rental Property

What makes for a desirable vacation rental market? To come up with this list, we looked at five different factors to provide each zip code within our Airbnb data set of 10 million short-term rentals across 80,000 regions with a score from 0-100, which we call the Market Grade.

Rental Demand:
How often are rentals booked throughout the year? By using a combination of annual occupancy and listing growth rates, this score shows the relative travel demand in a market.

High Score = High Travel Demand

Revenue Growth:
Did vacation rental listings in this location earn more this month than they did in the same month last year? This score is calculated by looking at the change in year-over-year RevPAR for properties that received bookings in both time periods.

High Score = Increasing Revenue per Property

Seasonality:
How much does travel in this market demand differ between peak season and low season? This score is the percentage difference between the minimum and maximum monthly RevPAR in the past year.

High Score = Low Seasonality

Regulation:
Can you run a short-term rental business here without getting into legal trouble? This score looks at host and property behavior to identify signs of regulation and regulation enforcement.

While some cities have levied heavy restrictions or outright banned certain types of short-term rentals, others have introduced permitting processes or have capped the total number of units allowed.  Although some might shy away from purchasing in areas with complicated or heavy regulation, savvy investors often know how to navigate the various requirements within markets that represent great investment opportunities.

High score = Low or Unenforced Regulation

Investability:
Are homes in this market a good investment? This score compares the cost of homes in the area to the average short-term rental income of full-time rental properties.

The 100 Best Places to Buy a Vacation Rental Property

Looking for the best vacation rental investments anywhere in the U.S.? Florida is a savvy investor's best bet with 43 amazing vacation rental markets. Hawaii is close behind with 19 markets with minimal seasonality and strong year-round bookings.


Market Grade: A (91/100) 
Rental Demand: 75 
Revenue Growth: 98 
Seasonality: 9 
Regulation: 68 
Investability: 100 
Active Listings: 237


Market Grade: A (84/100) 
Rental Demand: 83 
Revenue Growth: 45 
Seasonality: 62 
Regulation: 64 
Investability: 68 
Active listings: 369 


Market Grade: A (92/100) 
Rental Demand: 76 
Revenue Growth: 98 
Seasonality: 73 
Regulation: 34 
Investability: 72 
Active listings: 96 


Market Grade: A+ (97/100) 
Rental Demand: 70 
Revenue Growth: 47 
Seasonality: 93 
Regulation: 69 
Investability: 91 
Active listings: 671 


Market Grade: A+ (96/100) 
Rental Demand: 55 
Revenue Growth: 76 
Seasonality: 92 
Regulation: 52 
Investability: 96 
Active listings: 378


Market Grade: A (85/100) 
Rental Demand: 53 
Revenue Growth: 83 
Seasonality: 51 
Regulation: 46 
Investability: 96 
Active listings: 197 


Market Grade: A (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 95 
Revenue Growth: 31 
Seasonality: 89 
Regulation: 51 
Investability: 86 
Active Listings: 154 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 81 
Revenue Growth: 94 
Seasonality: 89 
Regulation: 59 
Investability: 100 
Active listings: 13,904 


Market Grade: A (93/100) 
Rental Demand: 80 
Revenue Growth: 72 
Seasonality: 82 
Regulation: 47 
Investability: 76 
Active listings: 616 


Market Grade: A (84/100) 
Rental Demand: 84 
Revenue Growth: 48 
Seasonality: 65 
Regulation: 70 
Investability: 57 
Active listings: 228 


Market Grade: A (90/100) 
Rental Demand: 68 
Revenue Growth: 59 
Seasonality: 74 
Regulation: 61 
Investability: 83 
Active Listings: 3,448 


Market Grade: A (88/100) 
Rental Demand: 59 
Revenue Growth: 88 
Seasonality: 85 
Regulation: 20 
Investability: 87 
Active listings: 136 


Market Grade: A+ (99/100) 
Rental Demand: 78 
Revenue Growth: 94 
Seasonality: 90 
Regulation: 70 
Investability: 48 
Active listings: 319 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 89 
Revenue Growth: 92 
Seasonality: 97 
Regulation: 59 
Investability: 94 
Active Listings: 5,364 


Market Grade: A (85/100) 
Rental Demand: 80 
Revenue Growth: 24 
Seasonality: 93 
Regulation: 70 
Investability: 60 
Active Listings: 166 


Market Grade: A (90/100) 
Rental Demand: 69 
Revenue Growth: 63 
Seasonality: 76 
Regulation: 47 
Investability: 91 
Active Listings: 114 


Market Grade: B+ (78/100) 
Rental Demand: 71 
Revenue Growth: 61 
Seasonality: 79 
Regulation: 20 
Investability: 69 
Active Listings: 885 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 73 
Revenue Growth: 88 
Seasonality: 76 
Regulation: 68 
Investability: 84 
Active Listings: 1,074 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 84 
Revenue Growth: 97 
Seasonality: 62 
Regulation: 55 
Investability: 91 
Active Listings: 1,062 


Market Grade: A (91/100) 
Rental Demand: 88 
Revenue Growth: 54 
Seasonality: 91 
Regulation: 51 
Investability: 67 
Active Listings: 569 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 95 
Revenue Growth: 97 
Seasonality: 49 
Regulation: 47 
Investability: 100 
Active Listings: 444 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 84 
Revenue Growth: 100 
Seasonality: 73 
Regulation: 59 
Investability: 100 
Active Listings: 591 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 84 
Revenue Growth: 95 
Seasonality: 70 
Regulation: 61 
Investability: 99 
Active Listings: 2,113 


Market Grade: A+ (98/100) 
Rental Demand: 62 
Revenue Growth: 79 
Seasonality: 81 
Regulation: 58 
Investability: 97 
Active Listings: 214 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 85 
Revenue Growth: 94 
Seasonality: 66 
Regulation: 61 
Investability: 100 
Active Listings: 3,001 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 84 
Revenue Growth: 86 
Seasonality: 81 
Regulation: 74 
Investability: 81 
Active Listings: 740 


Market Grade: A- (81/100) 
Rental Demand: 77 
Revenue Growth: 38 
Seasonality: 61 
Regulation: 50 
Investability: 86 
Active Listings: 912 


Market Grade: A (91/100) 
Rental Demand: 90 
Revenue Growth: 83 
Seasonality: 27 
Regulation: 58 
Investability: 93 
Active Listings: 352 


Market Grade: A (93/100) 
Rental Demand: 80 
Revenue Growth: 73 
Seasonality: 84 
Regulation: 48 
Investability: 70 
Active Listings: 409 


Market Grade: A (87/100) 
Rental Demand: 66 
Revenue Growth: 70 
Seasonality: 84 
Regulation: 57 
Investability: 58 
Active Listings: 148 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 82 
Revenue Growth: 81 
Seasonality: 74 
Regulation: 62 
Investability: 100 
Active Listings: 925 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 90 
Revenue Growth: 93 
Seasonality: 91 
Regulation: 47 
Investability: 86 
Active Listings: 151 


Market Grade: A (85/100) 
Rental Demand: 71 
Revenue Growth: 16 
Seasonality: 76 
Regulation: 65 
Investability: 100 
Active Listings: 357 


Market Grade: B (66/100) 
Rental Demand: 77 
Revenue Growth: 6 
Seasonality: 61 
Regulation: 47 
Investability: 63 
Active Listings: 105 


Market Grade: A- (83/100) 
Rental Demand: 49 
Revenue Growth: 73 
Seasonality: 50 
Regulation: 49 
Investability: 98 
Active Listings: 193 


Market Grade: A (87/100) 
Rental Demand: 77 
Revenue Growth: 70 
Seasonality: 74 
Regulation: 43 
Investability: 73 
Active Listings: 223 


Market Grade: A (90/100) 
Rental Demand: 61 
Revenue Growth: 81 
Seasonality: 76 
Regulation: 49 
Investability: 80 
Active Listings: 219 


Market Grade: A (88/100) 
Rental Demand: 89 
Revenue Growth: 52 
Seasonality: 100 
Regulation: 48 
Investability: 47 
Active Listings: 137 


Market Grade: A (93/100) 
Rental Demand: 82 
Revenue Growth: 71 
Seasonality: 58 
Regulation: 70 
Investability: 78 
Active Listings: 228 


Market Grade: B+ (77/100) 
Rental Demand: 72 
Revenue Growth: 65 
Seasonality: 65 
Regulation: 33 
Investability: 60 
Active Listings: 158 


Market Grade: A+ (100/100) 
Rental Demand: 78 
Revenue Growth: 83 
Seasonality: 76 
Regulation: 61 
Investability: 88 
Active Listings: 3,611 


Market Grade: B (77/100) 
Rental Demand: 84 
Revenue Growth: 41 
Seasonality: 80 
Regulation: 20 
Investability: 70 
Active Listings: 399 


Market Grade: B (66/100) 
Rental Demand: 47 
Revenue Growth: 21 
Seasonality: 74 
Regulation: 20 
Investability: 93 
Active Listings: 142 


Market Grade: A (92/100) 
Rental Demand: 89 
Revenue Growth: 37 
Seasonality: 82 
Regulation: 57 
Investability: 89 
Active Listings: 288 


Market Grade: A+ (95/100) 
Rental Demand: 83 
Revenue Growth: 64 
Seasonality: 90 
Regulation: 61 
Investability: 68 
Active Listings: 183 


Market Grade: A+ (96/100) 
Rental Demand: 72 
Revenue Growth: 88 
Seasonality: 86 
Regulation: 59 
Investability: 66 
Active Listings: 185 


Market Grade: A- (82/100) 
Rental Demand: 80 
Revenue Growth: 90 
Seasonality: 93 
Regulation: 20 
Investability: 34 
Active Listings: 218 


Market Grade: B (69/100) 
Rental Demand: 72 
Revenue Growth: 20 
Seasonality: 82 
Regulation: 20 
Investability: 71 
Active Listings: 411 


Check out AirDNA's list of best places to buy vacation rental property. Compare market grade, rental demand & regulation to uncover top markets!