Most Park City vacation rental owners make pricing and strategy decisions based on gut feel, a neighbor’s opinion, or whatever their current property manager tells them. The problem is that the Park City short-term rental market shifted significantly between 2023 and 2026, and the owners who understand what actually changed are the ones pulling ahead. Total market revenue is up. Listing counts are down. Average revenue per property has jumped 20 percent. If you own a vacation rental here and you haven’t looked at the numbers lately, this report is worth your time.
I track this data regularly because it directly shapes how I manage properties and set strategy. What follows is a breakdown of the key Park City STR market metrics for 2025 into 2026: where revenue stands, how occupancy is trending, what nightly rates look like, and what it all means for owners who want to perform at the top of this market.
The Big Picture: Park City’s STR Market Is Generating More Revenue Per Listing
Let’s start with the headline number. Total annual short-term rental revenue across the Park City market hit approximately 342 million dollars in 2025, up from 322 million dollars in 2023. That’s meaningful growth in a market that many assumed had peaked after the COVID-era booking surge.
What makes that number even more interesting is the context behind it. The total listing count actually dropped during the same period, from roughly 34,286 active listings in 2023 down to approximately 30,273 by 2025. Fewer listings, more total revenue. That math works out to a 20 percent increase in average revenue per listing, from about 9,415 dollars per year to 11,317 dollars per year.
For owners, this is a significant signal. The market is not contracting. Demand is holding steady, but the inventory of active rentals is shrinking. If your property is well-positioned and professionally managed, you’re competing in a market with less competition than three years ago. That’s a real advantage, and most owners haven’t fully registered what it means for their strategy.
The supply tightening is partly driven by stricter short-term rental regulations in some Utah municipalities, property owners converting vacation homes to long-term rentals or primary residences, and rising carrying costs filtering out marginal operators. Whatever the cause, the effect is the same: the owners who stay in the game and operate well are capturing more of the pie.
Occupancy Rates: What to Expect Across the Park City Market
Occupancy in the Park City market runs at a median of around 55 percent annually, with typical top-performing properties reaching considerably higher. A well-managed property in a strong location with an optimized listing can realistically hit 65 to 75 percent occupancy. Properties that are undermanaged or poorly optimized often sit well below the median, leaving significant revenue on the table.
The seasonality pattern in Park City is pronounced. Winter is the clear revenue peak. January and February are the strongest booking months, driven by ski season demand at Deer Valley, Park City Mountain, and Canyons Village. A well-positioned property with a strong listing can push occupancy north of 85 percent in peak ski weeks, with nightly rates to match.
Summer is increasingly strong, too. From June through August, family bookings tied to hiking, mountain biking, and outdoor recreation drive solid demand. I’ve watched the summer window grow over the last few seasons. It’s not ski season, but Park City’s summer rental market is more robust than many owners realize, and savvy managers are starting to treat it as a primary revenue period rather than a nice secondary one.
The shoulder seasons, April through May and September through November, are the strategic differentiator. This is where most properties leak revenue. Owners and managers who don’t actively work the shoulder calendar, whether through adjusted minimum stays, targeted promotions, or event-based pricing tied to things like the Sundance Film Festival in January or the Kimball Arts Festival in August, leave real money on the table. One of the clearest patterns I see when evaluating Park City properties is that the gap between high and low performers is biggest in the shoulder months, not peak season.
Average Daily Rates: Where the Park City Market Stands in 2026
Average daily rates in the Park City market are meaningfully higher than most markets in Utah and the Mountain West. The market median sits around 300 to 450 dollars per night for a typical property, though this varies considerably by bedroom count, location, and amenity set.
Deer Valley and Old Town properties in the right location can command premium rates, particularly during ski season. A five-bedroom ski-access property in Silverlake Village or Silver Star is operating in a very different rate environment than a two-bedroom condo at Canyons Village. Location matters enormously in Park City, more so than in flatter, uniform vacation markets.
Dynamic pricing is not optional in this market. Owners who set rates once and leave them run are almost certainly underperforming. The spread between what a peak-week Park City property can earn versus a standard mid-winter week can be 300 to 400 percent. That kind of range requires active pricing management, not a static rate card.
From the properties I analyze regularly, the pattern is consistent: owners using dynamic pricing calibrated to real-time market data are capturing the rate spikes when demand surges, while statically priced properties are either leaving peak revenue on the table or blocking demand during slower periods by holding rates too high. Both mistakes compound over a season.
What the Sundance Departure Means for Park City STR Owners
One market factor worth addressing directly is the Sundance Film Festival’s decision to move from Park City beginning in 2027. For many years, Sundance represented a guaranteed high-demand window in January, on top of already-strong ski season demand. Property owners in Park City, particularly those close to Main Street and Old Town, could charge peak-level rates during that week regardless of snow conditions or other factors.
The impact on short-term rental revenue remains to be seen in full. What’s clear is that Sundance week was a meaningful revenue contributor for some properties, particularly those near downtown. Owners who relied heavily on that window should begin thinking now about how to replace it, whether through stronger shoulder-season strategy, better dynamic pricing to capture surrounding ski weeks more effectively, or improved listing positioning to win bookings that were previously taken for granted.
That said, I don’t think the broader Park City STR market fundamentals change significantly. Deer Valley’s ongoing expansion is a meaningful demand driver, and Park City’s year-round outdoor recreation appeal continues to draw visitors from Salt Lake City, California, Texas, and beyond. The Sundance gap is real, but the market’s underlying demand story is intact.
Revenue Benchmarks: How to Know Where Your Property Actually Stands
Market averages only tell part of the story. What matters for your property is where it sits relative to comparable properties in the same area, bedroom count, and amenity tier. When I run a full analysis on a Park City property, I look at the full distribution: 25th percentile, 50th percentile, 75th percentile, and 90th percentile revenue for truly comparable listings.
The gap between 25th and 75th percentile performers in the Park City market is substantial. For a typical four-bedroom property, the spread can easily be 60,000 to 80,000 dollars per year in gross revenue. That difference comes down almost entirely to listing quality, pricing strategy, and operational execution. The property itself, in most cases, is not the variable. What happens to it between guests, and how it’s presented and priced, is the difference.
Properties managed under a boutique, hands-on model consistently outperform market averages in the data I see. That’s not a coincidence. The properties getting 5-star reviews at scale, with optimized listings and dynamic pricing running correctly, are the ones sitting in the 75th percentile and above. That tier is achievable for most well-located Park City properties. Most aren’t there yet because they’re either self-managed or managed by a firm more focused on volume than on individual property performance.
If you don’t know where your property sits in the distribution, that’s the first thing worth fixing. A clear-eyed look at your revenue relative to comparable properties will tell you whether your current approach is working or whether there’s meaningful upside being left behind.
What 2026 Looks Like for Park City STR Owners
The broader STR market nationally is showing some signs of normalization after the COVID-era surge. Occupancy is expected to ease modestly across the US in 2026, according to AirDNA’s outlook data. But Park City operates in a different environment than most markets. Supply has tightened here, demand is structurally supported by Deer Valley’s ongoing development and Park City’s year-round appeal, and the quality floor for top-performing properties is rising.
That last point matters. Guests in 2026 have more options and higher expectations than they did in 2020 or 2021. A listing that would have driven strong occupancy three years ago on the strength of novelty alone now needs to compete on quality, communication, and review consistency. The owners who invested in their properties and their operations during the boom years are well positioned. The ones who coasted are starting to feel it in their occupancy numbers.
For Park City owners specifically, 2026 is a year to sharpen operations rather than assume the market will carry you. Tightened supply creates opportunity, but it doesn’t eliminate the need to compete. A well-managed property with a strong listing, accurate dynamic pricing, and a disciplined guest communication process will significantly outperform the market average. A poorly managed one, regardless of location, will struggle more in this environment than it would have in 2021.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average revenue for a vacation rental in Park City?
The average annual revenue per listing in the Park City short-term rental market is approximately 11,317 dollars as of 2025 data, up 20 percent from 9,415 dollars in 2023. However, averages obscure a wide distribution. Top-performing properties in strong locations with professional management can generate 100,000 to 250,000 dollars or more per year in gross revenue.
What is the average occupancy rate for Park City vacation rentals?
The market median sits around 55 percent occupancy annually. Well-managed properties in good locations with optimized listings routinely outperform this, reaching 65 to 75 percent or higher. Park City’s strong ski season drives peak occupancy in January and February, with summer representing a growing secondary demand period.
Are Park City short-term rentals a good investment in 2026?
The fundamentals remain solid. Total market revenue is growing, active listing supply has declined about 12 percent since 2023, and average per-property revenue is up 20 percent. The market is more competitive on the quality side than it was in 2021, but well-positioned and well-managed properties continue to generate strong returns. The key variable is operational quality, not just location.
How has the Park City STR market changed since 2023?
The most significant shift is the combination of rising total revenue and falling listing counts. Approximately 4,000 fewer active listings are competing for a larger revenue pool than in 2023. Average nightly rates have held firm or grown in most property tiers. The market has also become more expectation-driven, with guests expecting better communication, cleaner properties, and more consistent experiences than during the peak COVID travel surge.
What is the impact of the Sundance Film Festival moving on Park City vacation rentals?
Sundance historically created a reliable high-demand window in January on top of existing ski season demand, particularly for properties near Old Town and Main Street. Its departure beginning in 2027 will affect some properties more than others. The broader Park City demand picture remains intact, supported by Deer Valley’s expansion and year-round recreational appeal. Owners most dependent on Sundance week revenue should begin developing a shoulder-season and event-based strategy to offset the gap.
Curious what your Park City property could realistically earn under professional management? I run a free, no-obligation analysis for every property I evaluate, and you get real market data, comparable properties, and a projected revenue range with zero pressure. Reach out here and I’ll put it together for you.
