Short answer: the highest Airbnb occupancy rates in the US right now belong to supply-constrained markets, not glamour destinations. New York City runs above 70% for compliant operators, and cities like Bellingham, WA (56%), Denver (54%), and San Diego (53%) top the 2026 charts while the national average sits around 50 to 54%. But here is the part most lists skip: occupancy is only half the scoreboard. A city can lead the occupancy rankings and still pay its hosts less per night on the calendar than a “quiet” island market. This post gives you the current numbers, then shows you how to read them like an operator instead of a tourist.
The Cities With the Highest Airbnb Occupancy Rates in 2026
Here are the US markets leading on occupancy right now, based on AirROI’s 2026 occupancy data drawn from over 20 million tracked listings:
| City | Occupancy | ADR | RevPAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, NY* | 70%+ | varies | high |
| Bellingham, WA | 56% | $215 | $120 |
| Denver, CO | 54% | $214 | $118 |
| San Diego, CA | 53% | $386 | $207 |
| Orlando, FL | 51% | $233 | $118 |
| Scottsdale, AZ | 50% | $404 | $205 |
| Madison, WI | 50% | $242 | $122 |
| Savannah, GA | 49% | $299 | $145 |
| Miami Beach, FL | 46% | $357 | $165 |
| Austin, TX | 46% | $290 | $131 |
*NYC is the outlier: Local Law 18 removed most of the supply, so the licensed listings that remain stay booked. That is regulation doing the marketing.
For context, AirDNA puts the US average at 54.3%, and most sources land between 50 and 54% for early 2026. That is down from roughly 57% in 2024. Demand did not collapse. Supply grew faster than travelers did, and the average got diluted.
Why the Highest Airbnb Occupancy Rates Can Mislead You
Occupancy tells you how often you are booked. It does not tell you what you earned. The metric that does is RevPAR: your nightly rate multiplied by your occupancy.
Look at the table again. Bellingham leads on occupancy at 56% but produces about $120 in RevPAR. San Diego books fewer nights at 53% yet nearly doubles that at $207, because its average rate is $386. A listing at 50% occupancy and a $400 rate out-earns a listing at 80% occupancy and a $150 rate. Every time.
So when you see a “cities with the highest Airbnb occupancy rates” list, read it as a supply-and-demand report, not a treasure map. High occupancy usually means one of two things: constrained supply (NYC, parts of Hawaii) or steady year-round demand (college towns, business hubs). Neither automatically means better income for you.
What Actually Drives Occupancy in a Market
Supply growth
Austin, Nashville, and Scottsdale were the darlings of 2021. Then everyone bought a “cash-flowing STR” there, supply flooded in, and occupancy sank to the mid-40s. If listings grow faster than demand, everyone’s calendar gets thinner.
Seasonality
Beach and ski towns swing 30 to 40 points between peak and off-season. Gulf Shores, Alabama can hit 85% in July and drop under 30% in January. An annual average hides that whiplash. Urban markets hold a much tighter range.
Regulation
Strict short-term rental rules squeeze supply, which props up occupancy for the operators who stay compliant. NYC is the loudest example. If you operate in a regulated market, compliance is a moat, not a burden.
Property type
Studios and one-bedrooms typically beat four-bedroom-plus homes on occupancy by 10 to 15 points. Smaller units fill easier. Bigger units earn more per booked night. Know which game your property is playing.
The Island Math: Why 49% in St. Thomas Beats 56% in Bellingham
Here is where our corner of the map gets interesting. St. Thomas short-term rentals average around 49% occupancy with a nightly rate near $430. Run the RevPAR math: that is roughly $211 per available night, ahead of almost every city on the high-occupancy list above. Tulum runs around 47% occupancy and still pencils out well for owners who price with the seasons.
Caribbean and Riviera Maya markets will rarely top the highest Airbnb occupancy rates rankings. They do not need to. High rates and long peak seasons do the earning. The catch: OTA commissions take a bigger dollar bite when your ADR is $430 than when it is $150. Fifteen percent of a St. Thomas booking is real money. We built a free tool that shows you the exact yearly cost: the OTA Commission Calculator. If you operate in the USVI, our St. Thomas marketing page covers the local playbook.
How to Raise Your Occupancy Wherever You Are
You cannot move your property to Bellingham. You can do these:
- Price to the season, not to your mortgage. Dynamic pricing that drops shoulder-season rates keeps the calendar moving. Hosts using data-driven pricing typically see 15 to 25% more revenue than static pricing.
- Fix the listing before you touch the price. Photos, headline, and review velocity decide your click-through. We wrote a full guide on how to get more bookings on Airbnb.
- Fill the gaps directly. Repeat guests booked on your own website cost you zero commission and smooth out the slow months. That is the core of our direct booking website work.
- Benchmark against your market, not the national average. Our post on what counts as a good Airbnb occupancy rate breaks down the targets by market type, and hotel operators can use the same logic in our guide to increasing hotel occupancy.
How to Check the Highest Airbnb Occupancy Rates Yourself
Do not take any list as gospel, including this one. The data moves every quarter, and the market that matters is yours. Two free ways to check current numbers:
AirDNA MarketMinder. Search any city or island and you get occupancy, average daily rate, and revenue for that market. The free tier is enough to sanity-check a purchase or a pricing decision. Their occupancy benchmarks post is a good primer on how they calculate it.
AirROI Atlas. Free lookups across 190+ countries, filterable by bedroom count and property type. Useful because a market average blends studios with six-bedroom villas, and those are different businesses.
One habit worth stealing from hotels: track your own occupancy weekly, not yearly. A 12-month average hides a soft September you could have fixed with a rate drop in July. Owners who watch the next 60 days of pace catch problems while there is still time to fill the calendar.
FAQ
Which US city has the highest Airbnb occupancy rate?
New York City, where compliant operators run above 70% because Local Law 18 cut supply so sharply. Among unrestricted markets, Bellingham, WA (56%), Denver (54%), and San Diego (53%) lead the 2026 data.
Is high occupancy the same as high profit?
No. Profit follows RevPAR, which is rate times occupancy. San Diego at 53% occupancy out-earns Bellingham at 56% by nearly double, because its nightly rate is far higher. Chase revenue per available night, not booked nights.
What is a good occupancy rate for my Airbnb?
Against a 2026 national average of 50 to 54%, anything at 55%+ is healthy and 65%+ is strong. But compare against your own market and property type first. A 49% seasonal island villa at a $430 rate is thriving. A 49% studio in Denver is leaving money on the table.
Want to know if your property is under-earning its market? Take the free Direct Booking Diagnostic. Five minutes, no sales call, and you get a straight answer.