Fairfield Bay, Arkansas Short-Term Rental Market
Fairfield Bay, AR STRs averaged $159/night at 44.0% occupancy in April 2026, with revenue up 4.6% year-over-year.
Quick Answer: Fairfield Bay, Arkansas is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 44%. average monthly revenue is $1,962. average daily rate is $159. the top operator is Evolve with 434 listings. market score is 85/100 (grade A).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Fairfield Bay is a small lakeside resort community of 2,198 residents on the northern shore of Greers Ferry Lake in north-central Arkansas. The market caters to outdoor recreation travelers, anglers, boaters, golfers, and second-home owners drawn to the lake’s 40,500 acres and approximately 340 miles of shoreline.
In April 2026, the average daily rate across all STR listings was $159 at 44.0% occupancy, producing RevPAR of $69.72. Year-over-year, occupancy rose 5.08 percentage points while ADR dipped 1.78%, netting a 4.59% gain in per-listing revenue.
The market is nearly entirely entire-place: 6,656 of the approximately 6,875 tracked listings are entire-place units, with 218 private rooms and 1 shared room. Bedroom distribution is relatively balanced across 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom properties (1,992, 2,011, and 1,922 respectively), with fewer 4-bedroom (648) and 5-bedroom (297) units. Channel distribution skews toward Airbnb: 3,055 listings are Airbnb-only, 3,220 appear on both platforms, and 600 are VRBO-only.
Market scores are broadly positive: total score 85.1, investability 96.5, seasonality 83.1 (reflecting relatively predictable seasonal patterns), rental demand 60.0, and revenue growth 67.8. The regulation score of 68.4 reflects a case-by-case permitting process through the City Council rather than a purely administrative framework.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32% | $132 | $1,364 |
| Feb | 40% | $132 | $1,298 |
| Mar | 51% | $153 | $2,029 |
| Apr | 43% | $151 | $1,813 |
| May | 49% | $161 | $2,038 |
| Jun | 57% | $176 | $2,694 |
| Jul | 57% | $178 | $2,880 |
| Aug | 44% | $163 | $2,086 |
| Sep | 42% | $155 | $1,800 |
| Oct | 50% | $156 | $2,184 |
| Nov | 45% | $152 | $1,891 |
| Dec | 38% | $146 | $1,698 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Fairfield Bay
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 434 | 17,314 | ★ 4.78 |
| 2 | Arkansas Vacation | 38 | 748 | ★ 4.75 |
| 3 | King Rhodes | 32 | 408 | ★ 4.74 |
| 4 | Buffalo Outdoor Center | 27 | 308 | ★ 4.91 |
| 5 | Ivy Vacations | 25 | 3,140 | ★ 4.91 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Fairfield Bay?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,992 |
| 2 bed | 2,011 |
| 3 bed | 1,922 |
| 4 bed | 648 |
| 5 bed | 297 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $161 |
| Luxury | $295 |
| Professionally Managed | $198 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $1,365 |
| Entire Place | $1,988 |
| House | $2,091 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 44.4% |
| vrbo | 8.7% |
| both | 46.8% |
Investment Analysis
Fairfield Bay’s low entry cost is its defining investment characteristic. The typical home value is $143,144 (Zillow, April 2026), with a median list price of $172,417 and 123 properties for sale. At April 2026’s average monthly revenue of $1,962, the annualized revenue figure is approximately $23,538, implying a gross revenue yield of roughly 16.4% relative to typical home value before expenses. Entry price is the key lever: at these home values, even moderate occupancy generates meaningful gross yields relative to acquisition cost.
Tier differentiation shows meaningful upside for higher-quality properties. Entire-home listings average $161/night versus $198 for professionally managed properties and $295 for luxury-tier listings. The luxury-to-average spread of $136 per night is substantial in a market where the all-listings ADR is $159, suggesting well-appointed or unique properties can command nearly double the going rate.
Revenue by property type in April: houses averaged $2,091 per month and entire-place listings averaged $1,988, while apartments trailed at $1,365. The house-to-apartment gap is $726 per month.
The historical trend shows occupancy peaked in 2020-2021 (53.9% and 54.4% respectively) and has settled back toward the low-to-mid 40s through 2024-2025. ADR has grown from $151 in 2017 to $163 in 2025, a modest but steady gain. Revenue has climbed from $1,459 in 2017 to $2,119 in 2025 on an annual average basis. The market is stable rather than high-growth.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
The average booking lead time in Fairfield Bay is 39.0 days, meaning guests typically book approximately 5 to 6 weeks in advance. This is a shorter planning horizon than many vacation markets, which has pricing implications: dynamic pricing that tightens in the final 3 to 4 weeks should capture demand without leaving revenue on the table at peak periods.
Average length of stay is 3.7 nights, suggesting guests treat Fairfield Bay primarily as a long-weekend destination rather than a full-week getaway. At 44.0% average occupancy and a 3.7-night stay, operators can expect roughly 3 to 4 booking events per month in an average month, with 5 to 6 in peak summer months. A 3-night minimum stay policy aligns with the typical guest booking pattern and reduces single-night turnovers that compress margin for operators managing cleaning costs. During the July and June peak, extending minimums to 4 or 5 nights on weekend starts can maximize revenue per opening.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are permitted in Fairfield Bay but require a Special Use Short-Term Rental permit obtained through the city’s Code Enforcement Office (130 Village Suite 2F; applications must be submitted in person). Individual STR permits are reviewed and renewed by the City Council, meaning approval is case-by-case rather than a routine administrative process. A permit renewal for 173 Lookout Drive appeared on the June 2025 council agenda, confirming the council’s active role.
The permit cost was not published in primary sources and could not be confirmed. Industry guides report that the ordinance includes limits on the number of guests per property and a maximum number of rental days per year, but the exact thresholds were not found in the city’s primary ordinance text and should be confirmed directly with the Code Enforcement Office at 501-884-6500.
No separate municipal lodging (A&P) tax rate could be confirmed. The combined sales tax is 9.5% for the Van Buren County portion of the city and 9.625% for the Cleburne County portion; Arkansas state sales tax applies to short-term lodging receipts. Operators should clarify the full lodging tax obligation before operating.
Enforcement is rated moderate. No major ordinance overhaul was identified in the past 24 months. Prospective operators should contact Code Enforcement to verify current permit fees, renewal timing, guest and night caps, and any applicable A&P tax before purchasing.
Market Comparison
At $159 ADR and 44.0% occupancy in April 2026, Fairfield Bay sits below the US STR median occupancy of approximately 55% and well below the national median ADR of roughly $220. The market’s RevPAR of $69.72 reflects its position as a small inland lake market rather than a coastal or urban destination.
However, the market’s total score of 85.1 and investability score of 96.5 reflect the key differentiator: entry cost. At a typical home value of $143,144, the gross revenue yield calculation looks favorable relative to higher-cost markets. The seasonality score of 83.1 also indicates more predictable seasonal patterns than many comparable lake markets.
Professional management is present but not as dominant as in coastal markets. Evolve leads with 434 listings, a substantially larger presence than the next operators: Arkansas Vacation at 38 listings and King Rhodes at 32. Evolve’s 434 listings represent a meaningful concentration in a market of this size, and their platform-distributed model (Airbnb, VRBO, direct) drives the channel diversity seen in the dimension data. Individual operators have room to compete on guest experience and local knowledge in a market where the bulk of professional management is handled by a single national operator.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fairfield Bay, Arkansas
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