Skaneateles, New York Short-Term Rental Market
Skaneateles area STRs averaged $241/night at 42.7% occupancy in April 2026, with August peak at 70.5% on one of the Finger Lakes.
Quick Answer: Skaneateles, New York is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 56%. average monthly revenue is $5,155. average daily rate is $357. the top operator is Finger Lakes Premier Properties with 212 listings. market score is 66/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Finger Lakes regional market, which includes Skaneateles. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Skaneateles.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Skaneateles, New York is a Finger Lakes lakefront destination with a split-jurisdiction regulatory environment: short-term rentals are prohibited inside the Village of Skaneateles but are permitted with no local permit required in the surrounding Town of Skaneateles, which contains the bulk of lakefront and rural STR inventory. The market tracked approximately 6,067 listings across the broader area.
In April 2026, the market recorded a 42.7% occupancy rate and a $241.31 average daily rate, producing a RevPAR of $103.10. Year-over-year, occupancy declined 7.0 percentage points while ADR rose 5.6% and monthly revenue fell 2.1%, indicating meaningful rate improvement against softer occupancy. The 2025 annual average of 47.7% occupancy and $269 ADR provides a more stable baseline. Skaneateles draws summer lake vacationers from Syracuse and Rochester, attendees of the Antique and Classic Boat Show (10,000-12,000 visitors the last weekend of July), the Skaneateles Festival (roughly 7,000 attendees in August), and the Dickens Christmas event (5,000 per weekend, Thanksgiving through Christmas).
By listing type: 5,549 entire-place, 517 private rooms, and 1 shared room. By bedroom count, one-bedroom properties lead at 1,824 units (reflecting the mix of smaller cottages and rooms), followed by three-bedroom (1,507), two-bedroom (1,333), four-bedroom (844), and five-bedroom-plus (553). Airbnb is the dominant channel: 2,974 listings are Airbnb-only, 581 are VRBO-only, and 2,512 appear on both platforms. The investability score is 95.5 out of 100.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34% | $188 | $1,859 |
| Feb | 44% | $192 | $1,960 |
| Mar | 42% | $187 | $2,025 |
| Apr | 48% | $210 | $2,398 |
| May | 51% | $266 | $2,934 |
| Jun | 57% | $298 | $4,240 |
| Jul | 69% | $292 | $5,227 |
| Aug | 71% | $294 | $5,379 |
| Sep | 52% | $261 | $3,632 |
| Oct | 51% | $249 | $3,509 |
| Nov | 39% | $210 | $2,356 |
| Dec | 37% | $199 | $2,090 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Skaneateles
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finger Lakes Premier Properties | 212 | 3,601 | ★ 4.64 |
| 2 | Evolve | 142 | 6,743 | ★ 4.69 |
| 3 | Vibe Short Term Rental Management | 77 | 2,336 | ★ 4.83 |
| 4 | Vacasa | 59 | 2,285 | ★ 4.49 |
| 5 | Between the Lakes Vacation Rentals | 56 | 668 | ★ 4.61 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Skaneateles?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,824 |
| 2 bed | 1,333 |
| 3 bed | 1,507 |
| 4 bed | 844 |
| 5 bed | 553 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $375 |
| Luxury | $609 |
| Professionally Managed | $564 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $3,010 |
| Entire Place | $5,428 |
| House | $5,868 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 49% |
| vrbo | 9.6% |
| both | 41.4% |
Investment Analysis
Typical home value data is not available for this snapshot, so a gross yield calculation cannot be made. The current median list price of $894,783 reflects the premium Finger Lakes lakefront inventory currently on market. With for-sale inventory of only 21 properties, market access is highly constrained, which supports values for existing owners but limits entry options for buyers.
The professionally managed tier commands a substantial premium: properties managed by professional operators averaged $361.08 per night, a 50% premium over the all-listings average of $241.31. This is the largest management premium in this batch, suggesting that professional operators in this market successfully differentiate on quality, marketing, and guest experience in ways that translate directly to rate. Luxury-tier listings averaged $435.96, an 81% premium.
By property type, houses generate $2,775 per month versus $2,621 for entire-place listings broadly and $1,755 for apartments. The village prohibition means that buyers must carefully confirm parcel jurisdiction before acquiring for STR use. Properties confirmed in the Town of Skaneateles carry no local permit requirement, but operators must collect and remit a 12% combined lodging tax (5% town plus 7% county) plus New York State sales tax (effective March 1, 2025). The 2025 annual average monthly revenue of $3,540 provides the most useful planning figure for the full year.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
Run a Free Address Analysis
Skip the market averages. Get revenue projections, comp analysis, and ROI for your specific property address. Free, instant, no signup required.
Analyze My Property →Booking Insights
Guests booking Skaneateles area properties plan an average of 47.3 days ahead, roughly six and a half weeks out. For an event-driven destination anchored by the Boat Show, the Skaneateles Festival, and Dickens Christmas, this lead time reflects planful bookers who align visits with signature events as well as more spontaneous weekend lake trip demand from the nearby Syracuse and Rochester metro areas.
The average length of stay is 3.35 nights, consistent with long-weekend Finger Lakes getaway patterns. This is one of the shorter average stays in this batch, indicating that despite the premium positioning, most guests are not booking full-week stays. Minimum-stay requirements of 3 nights during peak summer weekends can capture the dominant booking pattern, while 2-night minimums during the Dickens Christmas weekends may help fill the December demand window for event-driven visitors.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Skaneateles is a split-jurisdiction market requiring careful parcel-level verification before operating as an STR. The Village of Skaneateles (roughly one square mile at the north tip of the lake) prohibits rentals of fewer than 30 consecutive days. The village enacted this prohibition between 2015 and 2016, sent cease-and-desist letters to 31 existing operators, and saw the ordinance upheld by the New York appellate court. The only legal short-stay options within the village are hotels, lodging houses, and bed-and-breakfast homestays operating under conditional use permits.
The Town of Skaneateles, which surrounds the village and includes most lakefront and rural properties, has no dedicated STR ordinance and no local permit requirement. Operators in the town do not need a local STR permit. However, they must register and remit a 5% town occupancy tax, effective January 1, 2024, which stacks with the 7% Onondaga County hotel room occupancy tax for a combined 12% lodging tax. New York State sales tax also applies to short-term rental occupancy effective March 1, 2025.
Owners must confirm whether their parcel falls inside the village or the town, as Skaneateles mailing addresses can fall on either side of the jurisdictional line. There is no owner-occupancy requirement and no primary-residence requirement in the town. Enforcement severity is rated moderate.
Market Comparison
The Skaneateles area’s April 2026 occupancy of 42.7% is below the U.S. STR median of approximately 55%, with April as a spring shoulder month. The $241.31 ADR is above the national median of approximately $220, and the median list price of $894,783 for currently available properties reflects the premium nature of the Finger Lakes lakefront market. The 2025 annual average ADR of $269 positions the market as a premium destination relative to comparable Upstate New York markets.
The professional management layer is led by Finger Lakes Premier Properties with 212 listings and 3,601 reviews at a 4.636 rating, the dominant regional specialist. Evolve (142 listings, 4.685 rating) provides national platform reach. Vibe Short Term Rental Management (77 listings, 4.829 rating) is the highest-rated operator in the top five. Vacasa (59 listings, 4.487 rating) and Between the Lakes Vacation Rentals (56 listings, 4.612 rating) round out the group. The top five manage roughly 546 of approximately 6,067 total market listings, or about 9% of supply. The investability score of 95.5 is among the highest in this batch.
Frequently Asked Questions About Skaneateles, New York
What is the average daily rate for short-term rentals in the Skaneateles area?
What occupancy rate do Skaneateles vacation rentals achieve?
How much revenue can a short-term rental in the Skaneateles area generate?
Are short-term rentals permitted in Skaneateles?
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in the Town of Skaneateles?
When is peak season for Skaneateles vacation rentals?
Who are the top property management companies in the Skaneateles area?
Analyze Skaneateles Rentals
Use our free calculator to estimate Airbnb revenue for any property in Skaneateles.
Free Skaneateles STR Calculator →
