DENVER, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AirDNA , the leading provider of short-term rental (STR) data and analytics, today released its annual Best Places to Invest in Short-Term Rentals report, identifying the U.S. markets offering the strongest short-term rental investment returns in 2026.

The report evaluates U.S. properties currently for sale using AirDNA's proprietary Best Places to Invest (BPTI) Score, assessing demand, revenue potential, and how purchase prices compare with projected short-term rental income.

"This year's results challenge some of the usual assumptions about where short-term rental opportunities exist," said Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA. "When revenue and growth aren't viewed in isolation, affordability plays a much bigger role in how returns stack up across markets."

Across the Top 10 markets listed in the report, home prices average $296,000, with annual revenue potential of $40,500 and yields near 14%. While most are not traditional vacation destinations, these markets benefit from lower entry prices and year-round demand driven by workforce travel, healthcare, education, and government or military-related activity.

"2026 is one of the strongest environments we've seen for short-term rental investment in recent years," said Rohit Bezewada, CEO of AirDNA. "This report lays out the framework to identify the best opportunities, and investors can apply the same approach within AirDNA to evaluate deals at a more granular level."

AirDNA's Top 10 Markets to Invest in 2026:

1. Port Arthur, Texas
2. Abilene, Texas
3. Downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota
4. Charleston, West Virginia
5. Springfield, Illinois
6. Lake Charles, Louisiana
7. Montgomery, Alabama
8. Akron, Ohio
9. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
10. Jackson, Mississippi

In addition to the overall Top 10, the 2026 report includes new breakout rankings for investors to narrow opportunities by purchase budget (from $100k up to $5M) and by what drives demand in each market, including markets anchored by national parks, beach, lake, mountain and ski resorts, universities, wineries, golf, military and workforce-related travel.

The full report and methodology are available at airdna.co/best-places-to-invest-in-vacation-rentals

AirDNA will present findings from the 2026 Best Places to Invest report during a live webinar on Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. ET. Registration is available here .

Media Contact: press@airdna.co, (720) 372-2318

AirDNA is a global authority in short-term rental data, offering comprehensive insights and analytics to empower businesses in the short-term rental industry. AirDNA helps vacation rental hosts, managers, and investors make smarter decisions in any market or economic climate.

http://airdna.co

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SOURCE AirDNA