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 in the Arkansas Area market area is 55%. average monthly revenue in the Arkansas Area market area is $2,842. average daily rate in the Arkansas Area market area is $186. the top operator in the Arkansas Area market area is Evolve with 434 listings. market score is 85/100 (grade A).
Market data reflects the Arkansas Area regional market, which includes Fairfield Bay. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Fairfield Bay.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA 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 |
|---|---|
| Jan | 32% |
| Feb | 40% |
| Mar | 51% |
| Apr | 43% |
| May | 49% |
| Jun | 56% |
| Jul | 57% |
| Aug | 44% |
| Sep | 42% |
| Oct | 50% |
| Nov | 45% |
| Dec | 38% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Fairfield Bay are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Arkansas Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Arkansas Area market as a whole, which includes Fairfield Bay, so these counts are not Fairfield Bay-only figures.
| # | 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 nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Fairfield Bay are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 44.4% |
| vrbo | 8.7% |
| both | 46.8% |
Home Value Trends (Fairfield Bay)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Fairfield Bay are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Insights
Booking-window and length-of-stay analysis for Fairfield Bay — how far ahead guests book and how to price around it — is available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
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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