Newaygo, Michigan Short-Term Rental Market
Newaygo-area short-term rentals averaged $248 per night at 60.9% occupancy in June 2026 across 9,126 tracked listings.
Quick Answer: Newaygo, Michigan is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 61%. average monthly revenue is $3,813. average daily rate is $248. the top operator is Evolve with 368 listings. market score is 80/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Michigan Area regional market, which includes Newaygo. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Newaygo.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
The Newaygo-area short-term rental market includes 9,126 active listings tracked across Airbnb and Vrbo, covering Newaygo and the surrounding Newaygo County region (the tracked listing count is far larger than the city of Newaygo itself, which has a population of just 2,512 and a strict citywide STR cap detailed below). In June 2026, the average daily rate was $248.20 with occupancy at 60.9%, producing average monthly revenue of $3,812.66 per listing. Occupancy is roughly flat year over year (up 0.22 points), ADR is down 4.78%, and average revenue per listing is still up 3.70% year over year.
The market skews heavily toward entire-place rentals: 8,471 of the 9,126 total listings (92.8%) are entire-place, private rooms make up 651 (7.1%), and shared rooms are rare at 4 listings. Bedroom count is fairly evenly distributed among smaller units, with 2-bedroom the largest bucket at 2,625 listings, followed by 3-bedroom at 2,498, 1-bedroom at 2,246, 4-bedroom at 1,101, and 5-bedroom-plus the smallest segment at 631. By booking channel, 4,198 listings are Airbnb-only, 3,785 appear on both Airbnb and Vrbo, and 1,143 are Vrbo-only.
Newaygo is a small riverside town on the Muskegon River in west-central Michigan, a gateway to outdoor recreation in Newaygo County. Visitors are predominantly outdoor-recreation travelers and seasonal cottage residents drawn to steelhead and salmon fishing, kayaking, and over 230 inland lakes in the county, roughly 30 minutes from Lake Michigan. No precise annual visitor count is published for the city itself. StaySTRA’s market scoring gives this area a very strong investability score of 97.25 and revenue growth of 80.64.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39% | $144 | $1,622 |
| Feb | 44% | $146 | $1,641 |
| Mar | 44% | $136 | $1,697 |
| Apr | 48% | $143 | $1,717 |
| May | 52% | $172 | $2,023 |
| Jun | 62% | $214 | $3,177 |
| Jul | 71% | $218 | $4,113 |
| Aug | 64% | $214 | $3,778 |
| Sep | 46% | $187 | $2,376 |
| Oct | 45% | $164 | $2,116 |
| Nov | 42% | $148 | $1,770 |
| Dec | 45% | $150 | $1,816 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Newaygo
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 368 | 11,383 | ★ 4.68 |
| 2 | Freshwater Vacation Rentals | 61 | 2,562 | ★ 4.85 |
| 3 | LiveSuites | 59 | 1,199 | ★ 4.67 |
| 4 | Short Term Rentals | 31 | 2,489 | ★ 4.68 |
| 5 | Simple Lyfe Stays | 29 | 2,354 | ★ 4.85 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Newaygo?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,246 |
| 2 bed | 2,625 |
| 3 bed | 2,498 |
| 4 bed | 1,101 |
| 5 bed | 631 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $260 |
| Luxury | $447 |
| Professionally Managed | $291 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,328 |
| Entire Place | $3,984 |
| House | $4,148 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 46% |
| vrbo | 12.5% |
| both | 41.5% |
Investment Analysis
ADR varies by listing tier. All-listing average ADR is $248.20, entire-home listings average $260.26, and professionally managed listings command $291.05, a 17.3% premium over the all-listings average. The luxury tier tops out at $447.00 per night, about 1.8x the market average. Average revenue per listing is up 3.70% year over year even as ADR declined nearly 5%, suggesting occupancy or listing-mix gains offset the softer rate.
On the acquisition side, Zillow-sourced housing data puts the typical home value at $276,396.45, with a higher median list price of $375,750.00 (only 36 homes for sale). Annualizing the average listing’s $3,812.66 monthly revenue to $45,751.96 against the $276,396.45 typical home value works out to a gross revenue yield of roughly 16.6%, before cleaning, management, mortgage, insurance, and permitting costs. That is a gross topline figure, not a net cash-on-cash return. Critically, this yield calculation and the market-wide listing count reflect the broader Newaygo-area/county market, not the City of Newaygo specifically: the City itself caps total residential-zone STRs at just 5 units citywide, so a property’s exact location relative to city limits versus surrounding townships is the single most important underwriting variable in this market.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time in this market is 77.21 days, more than two and a half months ahead of the stay date, reflecting a planned river-and-lakes vacation market. Average length of stay is 4.26 nights. This long lead time gives operators significant runway to set advance-purchase pricing for the July peak, and given the roughly 32-point occupancy swing between summer and winter, operators should lock in peak summer bookings early while planning more flexible pricing for the November-through-April off-season.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
The City of Newaygo adopted a dedicated short-term rental ordinance (Ordinance 2025-03, effective April 30, 2025, amended by Ordinance 2026-01 effective February 25, 2026). Operating any STR without a City license is prohibited and treated as a nuisance per se. Licensing is expensive and competitive: a $500 non-refundable application fee plus a $1,500.00 annual license fee (license year runs April 1 to March 31), plus $100 per unit in inspection fees, with a pre-issuance and pre-renewal City inspection required.
Most importantly, a strict citywide cap limits residential-zone STRs to just five total across the RR, R-1, R-2, and R-3 districts, with new applicants waitlisted in order of oldest-complete-application; STRs in commercial zones are not subject to the 5-unit cap, but the industrial zone is off-limits entirely. Residential STRs must be at least 300 feet from another STR, only one STR is allowed per parcel, and properties in buildings with more than four units are barred. Owner occupancy is not generally required, except when a parcel has multiple dwelling units. Whole-home rentals only: room-by-room rentals and subletting are prohibited. Owners must carry $1,000,000 in liability insurance and provide a designated local representative within 30 miles who responds within 15 minutes. Operators must collect a 6.00% occupancy tax. Enforcement is characterized as strict. This regulatory framework applies specifically within Newaygo city limits; properties in surrounding Newaygo County townships are governed separately and are not subject to the city’s 5-unit cap.
Market Comparison
This market’s 60.9% occupancy is above commonly cited US STR benchmarks (roughly 55% occupancy nationally), while its $248.20 ADR runs slightly above the roughly $220 national median, reflecting solid demand for river and lakes-region cottages in west-central Michigan.
Property management is led by Evolve with 368 listings (11,383 reviews, 4.68 average rating), about 4.0% of the 9,126 tracked listings. Freshwater Vacation Rentals ranks second with 61 listings (2,562 reviews, the highest rating in the top five at 4.85), followed by LiveSuites with 59 listings, Short Term Rentals with 31 listings (4.68 rating), and Simple Lyfe Stays with 29 listings (4.85 rating). The top 5 PMs combined control about 6.0% of listings, leaving the large majority of inventory to individual hosts across the broader county market.
Frequently Asked Questions About Newaygo, Michigan
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