On Tuesday, the Arlington City Council finally banned Airbnbs and other short-term rentals, long a topic of heated debate in the city. The ban doesn’t apply to some residences around the entertainment district, but otherwise knocks out what had become a bustling cottage industry. Opponents of Airbnb, of course, complain about extra noise and cars suddenly appearing in previously quiet neighborhoods; hosts maintain most guests act responsibly and that Airbnb provides travelers more comfortable and sometimes cheaper accommodations.
Anyway, Arlington’s decision got me thinking about trying to measure just how big Airbnb has become. To that end, the nice, journalist-accommodating folks at AirDNA, a short-term rental research firm, sent me some data to sort through.
Dallas is loaded with good-looking Airbnbs, so you might be surprised to find the numbers reflect that our market appears less saturated than other Texas cities of our relative size. You probably won’t be surprised to see that the hoopla in Arlington was driven by a short-term rental market that was significantly more robust than the city’s suburban peers.
To the data!
Dallas
Number of listings 2017, on average (average daily rate): 1,411 ($151.54)
Number of listings 2019, on average (average daily rate): 2,915 ($159.54)
Avg. occupancy 2019: 63 percent
Arlington
Number of listings 2017 (rate): 150 ($225.90)
Number of listings 2019 (rate): 311 ($193.60)
Avg. occupancy 2019: 55 percent
Frisco
Number of listings 2017 (rate): 66 ($172.61)
Number of listings 2019 (rate): 121 ($194.95)
Avg. occupancy 2019: 54 percent
Irving
Number of listings 2017 (rate): 77 ($144.45)
Number of listings 2019 (rate): 153 ($166.96)
Avg. occupancy 2019: 57 percent
Plano
Number of listings 2017 (rate): 83 ($176.22)
Number of listings 2019 (rate): 134 ($191.63)
Avg. occupancy 2019: 57 percent
Austin
Number of listings 2017 (rate): 6,610 ($286.16)
Number of listings 2019 (rate): 7,583 ($270.64)
Avg. occupancy 2019: 58 percent
Houston
Number of listings 2017 (rate): 5,589 ($242.29*)
Number of listings 2019 (rate): 5,810 ($144.86)
Avg. occupancy 2019: 55 percent
*Definitely impacted by Houston’s hosting of the Super Bowl; during February, the average listing went for $438.26.
San Antonio
Number of listings 2017 (rate): 1,262 ($157.35)
Number of listings 2019 (rate): 2,837 ($155.65)
Avg. occupancy 2019: 58 percent
