Short-term rental investors spent June searching hardest in Seattle, Kissimmee, and Fort Lauderdale. But the markets pulling the most attention are rarely the ones paying the best returns. The most-searched market this month, Seattle, posted a median gross yield of just 7.9%, among the lowest of any major STR market we track.
The most in-demand STR markets right now
The most in-demand short-term rental markets in June 2026 were Seattle, Kissimmee, and Fort Lauderdale, ranked from real buyer search and inquiry activity on Rabbu. Seattle led every U.S. market for investor interest, scoring 100 on the Rabbu Demand Index, the anonymized 0 to 100 scale that tracks where investors are actively looking to buy.
|
Rank |
Market |
Demand Index |
Median gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Seattle, WA |
100 |
7.9% |
|
2 |
Kissimmee, FL |
79 |
11.9% |
|
3 |
Fort Lauderdale, FL |
62 |
11.2% |
|
4 |
San Diego, CA |
55 |
7.8% |
|
5 |
Houston, TX |
51 |
11.0% |
|
6 |
Orlando, FL |
51 |
14.1% |
|
7 |
Gatlinburg, TN |
46 |
10.8% |
|
8 |
Nashville, TN |
45 |
8.6% |
|
9 |
Tampa, FL |
43 |
11.4% |
|
10 |
Davenport, FL |
42 |
11.9% |
|
11 |
Destin, FL |
41 |
13.2% |
|
12 |
Sevierville, TN |
41 |
10.2% |
|
13 |
Myrtle Beach, SC |
39 |
16.5% |
|
14 |
Scottsdale, AZ |
37 |
10.2% |
|
15 |
Panama City Beach, FL |
37 |
12.3% |
The most underrated markets
The best-yielding STR markets are not the ones getting the most attention. Myrtle Beach posted the highest median gross yield of any major market at 16.5% in June, yet ranked outside the top ten for investor interest. Chicago and Orlando show the same shape: strong returns, comparatively light search demand.
|
Market |
Median gross yield |
Demand Index |
|---|---|---|
|
Chicago, IL |
15.2% |
18 |
|
Myrtle Beach, SC |
16.5% |
39 |
|
Orlando, FL |
14.1% |
51 |
|
Destin, FL |
13.2% |
41 |
|
Panama City Beach, FL |
12.3% |
37 |
The markets heating up fastest
Investor interest is climbing fastest in Cape Coral, Florida, where demand rose 150% against the prior thirty days, the sharpest jump of any market we track. Columbus, Fort Lauderdale, and St. Augustine also posted large gains. Momentum measures the change in search and inquiry activity over the trailing thirty days versus the thirty before it.
|
Market |
Demand growth (30 days) |
|---|---|
|
Cape Coral, FL |
+150% |
|
Columbus, OH |
+83% |
|
Fort Lauderdale, FL |
+65% |
|
St. Augustine, FL |
+60% |
|
Tampa, FL |
+55% |
The most overhyped markets
Some of the most-searched markets are also the hardest to make the numbers work. San Diego ranked fifth in the country for STR investor interest while posting a median gross yield of just 7.8%, among the lowest of any market tracked. None of these are bad markets, but the math is tighter, and buyers are competing hardest for the thinnest yields.
|
Market |
Demand Index |
Median gross yield |
|---|---|---|
|
Seattle, WA |
100 |
7.9% |
|
San Diego, CA |
55 |
7.8% |
|
Nashville, TN |
45 |
8.6% |
|
Charlotte, NC |
17 |
8.6% |
|
Austin, TX |
31 |
9.2% |
Why demand and yield pull apart
Across the Rabbu Demand Index, demand and yield move in opposite directions: the markets investors chase hardest tend to deliver the lowest yields, while the highest-yielding markets draw the least attention. In June, the five most-searched markets averaged a gross yield below 10%, while the top-yielding markets sat largely outside the demand top ten. Less competition for deals often means stronger numbers.
How we measure the Demand Index
The Rabbu Demand Index is built from real investor behavior on Rabbu, on-site searches and lead submissions, weighted so an inquiry counts more than a search, then indexed to a 0 to 100 scale so no individual activity is ever exposed. Yield figures come from Rabbu's short-term rental dataset: real booking performance from platforms like Airbnb, financials submitted by owners, and, where a property has no direct data, estimates built on more than five years of historical performance. Because STR revenue is operations-driven, a home that earned a given amount one year is not guaranteed to repeat it, so treat market yield as a directional signal, not a per-property promise. Read the full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Where are short-term rental investors looking to buy in 2026? As of June 2026, short-term rental investors are searching most in Seattle, Kissimmee, and Fort Lauderdale, based on real buyer activity on Rabbu. Seattle scored 100 on the Rabbu Demand Index, the highest of any U.S. market, meaning it drew more investor interest than anywhere else in the country this month.
Which short-term rental markets have the highest gross yield? As of June 2026, Myrtle Beach posted the highest median gross yield of any major STR market at 16.5%, followed by Chicago at 15.2% and Orlando at 14.1%. These markets tend to draw less search demand than lower-yielding metros, a pattern that holds across the Rabbu Demand Index.
What is the most overhyped short-term rental market? As of June 2026, Seattle is the most overhyped STR market on the Rabbu Demand Index: it drew the most investor interest in the country while posting a median gross yield of just 7.9%, among the lowest tracked. High demand paired with low yield means buyers compete hardest for the thinnest returns.
See where your target market ranks in Rabbu's market data, or browse Airbnbs for sale in the markets showing the strongest returns.
