Lubbock vs Amarillo: Two Stays, Two Revenue Years for STR hosts

Jacob Mishalanie
2 days ago
10 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

Empty Amarillo Texas residential street, no people

Lubbock and Amarillo get grouped together constantly in casual West Texas STR conversation, and it's easy to see why -- similar regional identity, similar climate, similar distance from the state's bigger metros. But the two cities post genuinely different numbers, and a host, buyer, or manager who blends them into one regional average is working from a figure that describes neither market accurately.

Lubbock is $21,239 on 1,085 listings. Amarillo is about $16,257 on 621 listings. Midland sits later, its own market with its own file, not part of this direct comparison. Those aren't rounding differences -- they represent a meaningfully larger, more competitive Lubbock market against a smaller, lower-revenue Amarillo one, and a listing description or investment packet needs to reflect which city it's actually describing, down to the dollar and the listing count.

This post lays out both cities' confirmed numbers side by side, plainly explains what's driving the gap, and makes the case for treating each as its own file rather than one blended "West Texas STR" story.

Read it as a working reference, not a one-time comparison. Anyone advertising, buying, or pricing in either city should come back to this side-by-side whenever a new number needs checking, rather than trusting memory or an old blended average that's gone stale by the next AirROI update. This is not legal advice.

The Headline Numbers, Side by Side

Typical Lubbock listings earned about $21,239 last year from 1,085 active rentals, AirROI trailing twelve months from August 2025 through July 2026. Average night was $206, occupancy sat at 36.6 percent, revenue per available night was $76, and active supply grew 37.0 percent year over year against a modest 0.3 percent revenue increase. That's a market that added listings much faster than it added demand.

Amarillo's typical listing earned roughly $16,257 across 621 active rentals in the same window -- a smaller market, both in listing count and revenue per listing, at a meaningfully lower price point than Lubbock. That gap alone should be enough to keep any comparison, packet, or ad campaign from citing one city's figure while describing the other.

Why the Gap Exists

Lubbock's larger listing base and higher typical revenue track with its role as the larger of the two cities and home to Texas Tech University, which drives a steady stream of visitor demand tied to the academic calendar, athletics, and campus events. That demand shows up in Lubbock's seasonal pattern -- May, August, and November as the strongest months, with May the clear peak -- and in its guest-origin mix, with Austin as the top feeder market followed by locals booking close to home.

Amarillo's smaller footprint, 621 listings against Lubbock's 1,085, points to a market that either has less current STR demand, less current supply, or both. Neither this post nor the source data it draws from can confirm which factor dominates without pulling Amarillo's own seasonal and guest-origin data directly -- what's confirmed is simply that the two markets are different in scale and in typical revenue, and should be described as such rather than smoothed into one shared regional narrative.

It's also worth noting that a smaller listing count isn't automatically a red flag for Amarillo. A market with fewer active rentals can mean less competition for the guests who do search that city specifically, which is a real consideration for a host weighing entry into a smaller market versus a larger, more crowded one like Lubbock, where 1,085 listings are already competing for the same guest pool.

Keep $21,239 on Its Own Line

Any Lubbock listing description, pricing model, or investor packet should cite $21,239 on 1,085 listings as Lubbock's own figure, not a regional average blended with Amarillo's lower number. Diluting Lubbock's figure downward by averaging it with a smaller neighboring market understates what a well-run Lubbock listing can realistically expect to earn, and it misleads a buyer trying to underwrite a specific Lubbock address.

The same logic runs in the other direction for Amarillo. Inflating an Amarillo listing's expected performance by citing Lubbock's higher figure sets an owner or investor up for a rough first year when the actual Amarillo numbers come in lower. Each city's figure belongs exactly where it was measured -- on its own line, tied to its own address.

Supply Growth Is a Lubbock-Specific Story Right Now

Lubbock's active listings grew 37.0 percent year over year while revenue moved only 0.3 percent -- new supply arriving considerably faster than new demand. That's an important signal for anyone entering the Lubbock market in 2026: differentiation matters more than it did a year or two ago, because the market is absorbing a lot of new competition without a matching revenue lift.

Whether Amarillo is seeing similar supply growth, slower growth, or something else entirely isn't something this comparison can confirm without pulling Amarillo's own year-over-year figures directly. Don't assume Lubbock's 37.0 percent applies to Amarillo just because the two cities sit in the same region -- source Amarillo's own trend from its own extract before making decisions based on it.

Midland Sits Later, Not in This Comparison

Midland comes up often enough in the same regional conversation to be worth flagging here, even though it isn't part of this Lubbock-Amarillo comparison directly. Midland runs its own market, its own permitting desk, and its own revenue year -- treat any Midland figures as a separate file entirely, sourced from Midland's own data, rather than folding a third city into what should stay a clean, focused two-city comparison.

The broader lesson scales past just these two or three cities: any time a regional West Texas post names more than one municipality, check that every number attached to a city name was actually measured for that city. A comparison post is only useful if the reader can trust that Lubbock's numbers are Lubbock's and Amarillo's are Amarillo's, every single time, all the way through.

What This Means for a Buyer Comparing the Two Markets

A buyer weighing a Lubbock purchase against an Amarillo one is really weighing a larger, more competitive, higher-revenue market against a smaller, lower-revenue one. Neither is automatically the better investment -- Lubbock's higher typical revenue comes with faster-growing supply and more competition for the same guest base, while Amarillo's lower revenue may come with less competitive pressure, though that specific dynamic needs Amarillo's own data to properly confirm before it factors into any purchase decision.

The honest way to run this comparison in an actual investment packet is to list both cities' confirmed figures on separate lines, note the extract window for each, and flag any number that hasn't been independently confirmed for the specific city in question -- rather than assuming shared geography means shared performance across two genuinely different markets.

Occupancy and ADR Tell the Rest of Lubbock's Story

Beyond the $21,239 headline, Lubbock's $206 average night and 36.6 percent occupancy describe a market where price per night is solid but nights actually booked leave real room on the calendar. Revenue per available night at $76 is the figure that blends both together, and it's the number worth tracking year over year rather than ADR or occupancy in isolation, since a host can move either one independently through pricing strategy.

This post can only confirm those three figures -- ADR, occupancy, and RevPAN -- for Lubbock specifically. Amarillo's own breakdown of ADR versus occupancy isn't part of the confirmed data here, and a buyer comparing the two markets on more than just headline annual revenue should request that breakdown directly before assuming Amarillo's $16,257 comes from a similar ADR-occupancy mix to Lubbock's -- a lower revenue figure could come from a lower nightly rate, lower occupancy, or some combination of both.

Stay Length and Lead Time, One City at a Time

Lubbock's typical stay runs 4.4 nights, booked about 47 days ahead -- numbers that shape everything from minimum-stay settings to cancellation policy design. About 312 of Lubbock's 1,085 listings, 28.8 percent, have set a 30-night minimum regardless, which is a booking-window choice rather than a reflection of that 4.4-night average, and shouldn't be read as evidence that Lubbock guests are booking longer stays than the data shows.

Whatever Amarillo's own stay-length and lead-time figures are, they belong to Amarillo's own file. A host managing listings in both cities should build separate calendar and pricing rules for each rather than assuming a 47-day lead time or a 4.4-night average applies uniformly across both markets -- the guest booking behavior in a smaller market can look quite different from a larger, campus-driven one.

Management Mix Differs Too

Professionally managed listings make up 15.9 percent of the Lubbock market, with Hub City the largest single manager on record at 57 listings. That leaves the large majority of Lubbock's 1,085 listings in owner-operator hands. Amarillo's own management mix -- what share is professionally managed, and by whom -- isn't part of the confirmed comparison here, and a host considering hiring a manager in either city should ask specifically about that manager's track record in the city where the property actually sits, not their reputation in a neighboring market.

This detail matters for buyers evaluating a turnkey purchase too. A Lubbock listing already under professional management inherits whatever pricing and compliance discipline that manager brings; an Amarillo listing under different management should be evaluated on its own manager's track record, not assumed to perform the way a Lubbock-managed comparable would, especially given the two cities' different revenue baselines.

The Permit Desk Is Part of the Comparison, Not a Footnote

Lubbock's compliance requirements are confirmed and specific: a Short-Term Rental Permit through Planning at 806-775-3849, residential zoning, a 7 percent monthly local hotel occupancy tax, and a $100 annual registration fee currently cited as waived through January 30, 2026 (confirm current status). Any revenue comparison between Lubbock and Amarillo should be read alongside those costs, since compliance overhead eats into the top-line $21,239 figure before it becomes net income.

Amarillo's own permitting fee structure isn't confirmed here, which means a true apples-to-apples comparison of net returns between the two cities requires pulling that figure directly from Amarillo's own desk. Don't assume Amarillo's compliance costs mirror Lubbock's $100 fee and 7 percent HOT just because the topline revenue comparison sits in the same post -- confirm each city's fee schedule independently before finalizing a net-return projection.

A Practical Way to Run This Comparison for Your Own Portfolio

For a host or buyer actually deciding between the two markets, the useful exercise is building a simple side-by-side sheet: revenue, ADR, occupancy, supply growth, stay length, management share, and compliance cost, one column for Lubbock and one for Amarillo, each populated only with numbers confirmed for that specific city. Where a market is blank because the figure isn't available, leave it blank rather than filling it with the other city's number as a placeholder.

That discipline is slower than writing one shared regional pitch, but it's the only way to make a comparison that actually holds up when a buyer, a guest, or a future version of the host checks the numbers against the source. Lubbock is $21,239 on 1,085 listings. Amarillo is about $16,257 on 621. Keep them exactly that separate, in every packet, every listing, and every pricing model going forward, and revisit the sheet whenever either city's AirROI extract updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did a typical Lubbock listing earn compared to Amarillo?

Lubbock's typical listing earned about $21,239 last year from 1,085 active rentals; Amarillo's earned roughly $16,257 across 621 listings in the same AirROI trailing-twelve-month window. That's a real gap in both revenue and listing count, not a rounding difference between two similar markets.

Why is Lubbock's market bigger than Amarillo's?

Lubbock's larger listing base tracks with its role as the bigger of the two cities and home to Texas Tech University, which drives steady visitor demand tied to the academic calendar and athletics. Amarillo's smaller footprint, 621 listings against Lubbock's 1,085, points to a smaller current market, though the specific driver needs Amarillo's own data to fully confirm.

Is Lubbock's revenue growing faster than Amarillo's?

This comparison can only confirm Lubbock's own trend: active supply grew 37.0 percent year over year while revenue moved just 0.3 percent. Whether Amarillo is seeing similar, slower, or different supply growth isn't confirmed here -- source Amarillo's own year-over-year figures before assuming Lubbock's trend applies.

Should I average Lubbock and Amarillo's numbers for a regional pitch?

No. Averaging $21,239 and $16,257 produces a figure that describes neither city accurately -- it understates Lubbock's real performance and overstates Amarillo's. Keep each city's figure on its own line in any listing description, pricing model, or investor packet.

Does Midland belong in a Lubbock-Amarillo comparison?

Not directly. Midland runs its own market, its own permitting desk, and its own revenue year, sitting outside this two-city comparison. Treat any Midland figures as their own separate file, sourced from Midland's own data, rather than folding a third city into a Lubbock-Amarillo comparison.

When is Lubbock's peak season?

May is Lubbock's strongest revenue month, with August and November also running hot. July is the slowest month and where occupancy dips lowest. This seasonal pattern is specific to Lubbock's own AirROI extract and shouldn't be assumed to match Amarillo's calendar without separate confirmation.

Who books a Lubbock stay versus an Amarillo stay?

Most Lubbock guests arrive from Austin, followed by locals booking close to home, with a typical stay of 4.4 nights booked about 47 days out. Amarillo's own guest-origin mix isn't confirmed in this comparison and should be sourced separately before being assumed to mirror Lubbock's pattern.

Is Amarillo a worse investment than Lubbock because its revenue figure is lower?

Not necessarily. A lower typical revenue figure doesn't automatically mean a worse investment -- it may come with less competitive pressure or a lower entry cost, though those specific dynamics need Amarillo's own supply and pricing data to evaluate properly. Compare each city on its own full picture, not just the headline revenue number.

What's the risk of blending Lubbock and Amarillo numbers in a listing description?

A guest or buyer who catches a mismatched number -- Amarillo's price cited for a Lubbock property, or vice versa -- loses trust in the rest of the description. It's also simply inaccurate: each city's figure was measured for that city's own market and doesn't transfer.

What should a buyer's packet include when comparing these two cities?

List both cities' confirmed figures on separate lines -- Lubbock's $21,239 on 1,085 listings, Amarillo's roughly $16,257 on 621 -- note each figure's extract window, and flag any number not independently confirmed for the specific city in question rather than assuming shared geography means shared performance.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

Lubbock's $21,239 typical year and Amarillo's roughly $16,257 are two different markets, not one regional average. Keep the files apart before you price either one.

Crest & Cove builds Lubbock and Amarillo listings around each city's own confirmed numbers, not a blended regional figure that shortchanges one market or oversells the other. Send your address and we'll write the right year for the right city.

Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.