Seattle's 2026 Short-Term Rental Numbers: What the AirROI File
AirROI's extract for Seattle, filed as the August 2025 through July 2026 window, puts the typical short-term rental at about $33,351 in annual revenue across 5,479 active listings. That figure breaks down to a $256 average daily rate at 46.3 percent occupancy, working out to roughly $119 in revenue per available night. It's a useful anchor for underwriting a purchase, benchmarking a current listing, or evaluating a pitch deck that cites the Seattle market — provided it's read with its actual boundaries in mind.
The headline number is only part of the picture. Year over year, revenue in this sample moved up just 0.1 percent, while active supply grew about 12.3 percent — a gap that says more about how competitive Seattle has become than the flat-looking topline figure does on its own. And the market isn't licensed like an open field: Seattle short-term rentals sit under a two-unit operator cap, with a $75-per-unit operator license required through the Seattle Services Portal.
This report walks through what the current AirROI extract actually supports, what it names about seasonality and guest behavior, what the licensing structure requires before a listing can legally run, and where the neighboring Tacoma market belongs on its own separate line rather than folded into Seattle's numbers. This is not legal advice.
What the Current Extract Actually Says
The core figures: typical annual revenue around $33,351, an average daily rate of $256, occupancy at 46.3 percent, and a resulting revenue-per-available-night figure of about $119, across 5,479 active listings, on AirROI's August 2025 through July 2026 extract. That's a city-wide benchmark covering the full mix of Seattle short-term rental listing stock, not a single neighborhood or property type.
Treat this as competitive context, not a promise for any specific address. A given driveway, priced and marketed a certain way, will land somewhere in the distribution around $33,351 — not automatically at it. The figure is most useful compared against other listings competing for the same guest, in the same window, rather than treated as a guaranteed outcome.
Active supply of 5,479 listings is itself a meaningful data point. That's a large, competitive pool, and it's grown 12.3 percent year over year on this same extract — a detail worth reading alongside the revenue figure rather than separately from it.
The Growth Gap: Flat Revenue, Rising Supply
Revenue in this sample is up just 0.1 percent year over year, essentially flat, while active listings grew about 12.3 percent over the same period. That combination means more properties are competing for a demand pool that hasn't meaningfully expanded — a dynamic that tends to squeeze the middle of the market hardest, where generic, undifferentiated listings sit.
This is the kind of detail that gets lost in a headline revenue number quoted on its own. A reader who sees '$33,351 typical annual revenue' without the supply-growth context might assume a stable, evenly distributed market. The 12.3 percent supply growth against 0.1 percent revenue growth tells a more specific story: new entrants are diluting the average, and listings that don't differentiate are more exposed to that dilution than the headline figure alone suggests.
For anyone underwriting a new purchase in this market, that gap is worth factoring directly into revenue projections — a market absorbing this much new supply against flat demand growth is not the same underwriting case as a market where both are rising together.
Seasonality: When the Calendar Fills and Empties
June is the strongest revenue month in this sample, with August and July also carrying meaningful volume through the summer. February is the slowest month for revenue, and it's also where occupancy runs weakest on this dataset's read — the revenue trough and the occupancy trough land in the same month here.
That pattern should shape pricing directly. Rather than applying one flat rate across the year, the named peak months (June, with August and July close behind) are where rate and availability decisions carry the most weight, and February is where honest, realistic pricing — rather than an inflated rate hoping for June-level demand — protects overall occupancy during the market's softest stretch.
Typical stay length in this sample is about 6.5 nights, booked roughly 45 days ahead — a planned-trip pattern rather than a last-minute booking pattern, which is worth reflecting in how far out a listing's calendar and pricing strategy actually extend.
The Licensing Structure Behind the Numbers
None of the revenue figures above are available to a listing that isn't currently licensed to operate. Seattle short-term rentals sit under a two-unit operator cap, and an operator license runs $75 per unit through the Seattle Services Portal. Confirming current registration, tax, and license-display requirements should happen directly against the current ordinance and primary city pages — this report intentionally does not state a specific tax percentage beyond what's confirmed here, since that figure should be pulled fresh rather than repeated from an older source.
The Seattle STR desk, reachable at 206-386-1267 (or by writing to str@seattle.gov), is the direct route for confirming current status on any specific property — cap eligibility, license requirements, and display rules — rather than relying on a market-data extract, which benchmarks revenue but isn't a compliance record.
This matters more, not less, in a market that grew supply 12.3 percent year over year. More competing listings means more visibility for any one of them that's operating with lapsed or improperly displayed licensing.
Where Tacoma Belongs — and Where It Doesn't
Tacoma's own extract, on the same August 2025 through July 2026 window, puts typical listings at about $22,092 across 762 active rentals — real data, but describing a market roughly seven times smaller than Seattle's 5,479-listing pool, with its own separate guest pattern. Folding Tacoma's figure into a Seattle market report, or averaging the two into one regional number, produces a figure that doesn't accurately describe either city.
For anyone building a comparison packet or evaluating properties across both markets, cite each city's figure separately, dated to the same extract window, so a reader can verify either number independently rather than trusting a blended composite.
This report's numbers — $33,351 across 5,479 listings, $256 ADR, 46.3 percent occupancy, $119 RevPAR — are Seattle's alone, on this dated AirROI extract.
How to Actually Use This Report
Confirm current two-unit cap eligibility and license status directly with the Seattle STR desk before advertising, since none of the revenue figures above apply to a listing that can't legally operate. Then price June, July, and August as the named peak stretch, and price February honestly rather than assuming June-level demand will carry the calendar's weakest month.
Compare a specific listing's performance against this dated extract, not against a generic 'short-term rental market is booming' narrative that doesn't account for the 12.3 percent supply growth sitting alongside a nearly flat 0.1 percent revenue gain. That gap is the real competitive context for pricing and marketing decisions in this market right now.
Revisit this file periodically. An AirROI extract dated August 2025 through July 2026 is a snapshot, and given how much new supply entered the market over that same window, a report this recent is worth updating again well before a year passes.
Reading the Guest Behavior Behind the Revenue Number
The $33,351 typical-revenue figure is built from actual guest behavior this sample also names: a roughly 6.5-night average stay, booked about 45 days ahead, with guests arriving mostly from Seattle itself and then Portland. That's a planned-trip pattern, not an impulse-booking pattern, and it has direct implications for how far ahead a listing's pricing and availability should be locked in.
It also means the revenue figure isn't evenly distributed across a random mix of trip types. A market built on 6.5-night, 45-day-lead-time stays behaves differently than one built on one-night, same-day bookings — occupancy moves in larger blocks, calendar gaps are costlier when they fall inside a planned peak week, and marketing copy has more time to influence a decision before the booking happens.
Reading the revenue figure alongside this guest-behavior detail gives a fuller picture than the dollar amount alone: $33,351 is what a typical listing earns when it successfully captures a share of these specific, planned, regionally-sourced trips — not an abstract average detached from any particular kind of guest.
What This Report Deliberately Doesn't Claim
This report doesn't state a specific short-term rental tax rate for Seattle, because that figure isn't confirmed within the source extract and tax rates are exactly the kind of detail that should be pulled fresh from primary city pages rather than repeated from a prior reference. Anyone needing that number for a pro forma should confirm it directly rather than relying on a market report built primarily around revenue and occupancy data.
It also doesn't claim that $33,351 is an achievable floor for every listing, or that the two-unit cap and $75 license fee are the entirety of Seattle's regulatory requirements. Registration, tax, and display rules beyond what's confirmed here should be checked directly against the current ordinance — this report names the confirmed figures it has and is explicit about where it stops rather than filling gaps with assumptions.
That distinction — between what this dated extract actually supports and what it doesn't — is the difference between a market report that holds up under scrutiny and one that quietly extends its data past what the source actually shows.
Reading This Report Alongside a Specific Property
If you're evaluating a specific Seattle property rather than the market broadly, the most useful next step is comparing that property's live listing — its photos, description, review count, and current pricing — against the competitive pool this sample describes: 5,479 active listings, a $256 average daily rate, and 46.3 percent occupancy. A property priced well above that average daily rate needs a clear reason a guest would pay the premium; one priced well below it may be leaving revenue on the table rather than reflecting weaker demand.
It's also worth checking that property's current licensing status against the two-unit cap and $75-per-unit fee named here, since a strong listing sitting on an unconfirmed or lapsed license carries a risk the revenue figures don't capture. The Seattle STR desk at 206-386-1267 can confirm that status directly for a specific address.
Put together, that's a three-part check for any specific Seattle property: how it compares to this sample's market-wide averages, whether its licensing is current, and whether its pricing reflects the named peak-and-trough seasonal pattern rather than one flat annual rate. All three checks use figures already confirmed in this report — none require additional research beyond what's already here.
Related Reading
Washington years already live on Crest and Cove: file Anacortes, Poulsbo, and Forks on their own lines before you underwrite Seattle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Seattle's current typical short-term rental revenue?
AirROI's August 2025 through July 2026 extract puts typical annual revenue at about $33,351 across 5,479 active listings, at a $256 average daily rate and 46.3 percent occupancy, or roughly $119 in revenue per available night.
How has Seattle's short-term rental market changed year over year?
Revenue moved up just 0.1 percent while active supply grew about 12.3 percent in this sample — a gap that points to more listings competing for a demand pool that hasn't meaningfully expanded.
What are Seattle's peak and slow months for short-term rentals?
June is the strongest revenue month, with August and July also carrying meaningful volume. February is the slowest for revenue and also where occupancy runs weakest on this dataset's read.
What is Seattle's operator cap for short-term rentals?
Seattle short-term rentals sit under a two-unit operator cap, with an operator license running $75 per unit through the Seattle Services Portal.
Who do I contact to confirm current Seattle STR licensing status?
The Seattle STR desk at 206-386-1267, or by writing to str@seattle.gov, confirms current cap eligibility, license status, and display requirements directly.
Does this report state Seattle's current short-term rental tax rate?
No. This report intentionally does not cite a specific tax percentage beyond what's confirmed in the source extract. Confirm current tax rates directly on primary city pages, since that figure changes and should be pulled fresh.
How does Seattle compare to Tacoma on this same extract?
Tacoma's typical listing earns about $22,092 across 762 active rentals on the same window — a market roughly seven times smaller than Seattle's 5,479-listing pool. The two should be cited separately, not averaged into one regional figure.
How long do guests typically stay in Seattle rentals, and how far ahead do they book?
About 6.5 nights, booked roughly 45 days ahead in this sample — a planned-trip pattern rather than a last-minute booking pattern.
Can I use this AirROI extract as proof of licensing compliance?
No. This is a revenue and occupancy benchmark, not a compliance record. Cap eligibility and license status need to be confirmed directly with the Seattle STR desk.
How often should I update this market report for my own use?
Periodically, ideally more than once a year. Given the 12.3 percent supply growth over this sample's window, a report this recent will still age faster than a year-round assumption would suggest.
Work with Crest & Cove Creative
$33,351 typical revenue, 12.3 percent more supply, and 0.1 percent more revenue to go around. The file supports the first number — the second and third are why it matters.
We help Seattle hosts and buyers read this AirROI extract against the two-unit cap, current licensing, and the real growth gap before pricing peak months. Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502. Send the live listing draft and the facts you can actually cite.
Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.
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