Airbnb Short term Rental Market Data Analysis

Denver, Colorado

Updated on Sep 2026

Denver blends business travel, conventions and mountain-gateway leisure demand. It is not an investor market: licences are issued only for a host's primary residence, and one person may hold only one. Sub-market selection is not a lever you have here.

Annual Revenue

$32.1K

Occupancy Rate

47%

Average Daily Rate

$211

Total Active Listings

7,895

Market averages, not top-quartile figures. Year-on-year: ADR −10.5%, RevPAR −8.4% and listings −5.8% year-on-year.

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Average Revenue per ListingAverage Daily RateLength of StayBooking Lead TimeActive Listings CountDemand vs Supply

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Regulations

Denver's whole system hinges on one rule: an STR license only goes to a host's actual primary residence, meaning the place they usually live and return to, and a person can hold only one license citywide. That rules out non-owner-occupied investment properties entirely; those would need a separate lodging facility license instead, which usually requires a zone that allows lodging and often triggers expensive building upgrades like sprinklers and alarms. Denver's own FAQ walks through how contested residency claims get decided, covering scenarios like remote work, military deployment, and owners who say they only stay elsewhere when the property is rented. STRs are allowed as an accessory use anywhere residential use is allowed, so zoning isn't really the obstacle here, the residency test is. Fees are light: $50 to apply plus $100 a year for the license, plus a separate lodger's tax account. Total tax comes to 10.75% lodger's tax plus a flat $48 a year occupational privilege tax. Hosts don't need to be home during a stay, but someone locally has to be reachable, and only one rental contract is allowed at a time, so renting separate rooms to unrelated parties simultaneously isn't permitted.

Consultant’s take on Denver Market

You are competing in a supply-constrained resident-host market, so pricing power exists for well-located listings but there is no investor path to exploit it at scale.

• Verdict: Primary-residence licensing caps competing supply and protects rates for eligible hosts
• Rationale: ADR softened about 10.5% year-on-year to roughly USD 211 while listings fell about 5.8%, yet occupancy held near 47%. Because new investor supply cannot enter legally, resident hosts face less rate pressure than in open markets, and midweek business demand rewards listings close to the core.
• What this means for you: If you qualify See more