Hernando, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Hernando, FL STRs averaged $179/night at 55.8% occupancy in April 2026, serving a market of 1.7 million annual visitors.
Quick Answer: Hernando, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Florida Central Area market area is 55%. average monthly revenue in the Florida Central Area market area is $2,878. average daily rate in the Florida Central Area market area is $189. the top operator in the Florida Central Area market area is Evolve with 358 listings. market score is 60/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Florida Central Area regional market, which includes Hernando. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Hernando.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Hernando is an unincorporated community in Citrus County on Florida’s Nature Coast, approximately 75 miles north of Tampa. The area draws roughly 1.7 million annual visitors through Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, the Three Sisters Springs manatee sanctuary, and Gulf-access waterways. Approximately 8,067 listings are tracked by bedroom count, with 7,621 classified as entire-place rentals.
In April 2026, the all-listing average daily rate was $179.06 and occupancy came in at 55.8%, producing a RevPAR of $99.99 and average monthly revenue of $2,828. Year-over-year, occupancy fell 4.1 percentage points while ADR rose 3.0%, resulting in a net revenue decline of 1.2% compared to April 2025. The 2025 full-year average was 58.5% occupancy, $170 ADR, and $2,755 monthly revenue.
By bedroom count, the market splits evenly between 2-bedroom (2,787) and 3-bedroom (2,801) properties at the top, followed by 1-bedroom (1,799), 4-bedroom (551), and 5-bedroom (129). Channel mix: 4,046 listings on both Airbnb and VRBO, 3,067 Airbnb-only, and 977 VRBO-only. Seasonality scores highly at 81.80 out of 100 and investability at 83.88, reflecting strong year-round demand patterns and positive return fundamentals.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 65% |
| Feb | 80% |
| Mar | 78% |
| Apr | 58% |
| May | 53% |
| Jun | 60% |
| Jul | 64% |
| Aug | 52% |
| Sep | 48% |
| Oct | 54% |
| Nov | 58% |
| Dec | 57% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Hernando are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Florida Central Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Florida Central Area market as a whole, which includes Hernando, so these counts are not Hernando-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 358 | 13,225 | ★ 4.74 |
| 2 | A&J Home Concierge | 160 | 633 | ★ 4.74 |
| 3 | McCormick Management Vacation Rental | 106 | 3,510 | ★ 4.84 |
| 4 | Village Valet Property Management, LLC | 102 | 1,251 | ★ 4.68 |
| 5 | Down Home Properties | 87 | 1,128 | ★ 4.69 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Hernando?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Hernando 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 | 37.9% |
| vrbo | 12.1% |
| both | 50% |
Home Value Trends (Hernando)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Hernando 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 Hernando — 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
Hernando sits in unincorporated Citrus County, where STR regulation operates at the state level through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
Required licensing: a Florida DBPR Vacation Rental Dwelling or Condo License. The full-year fee for a single unit is approximately $170, plus a $50 application fee and a $10 Hospitality Education Program fee, renewed annually. Airbnb collects and remits state and local lodging taxes for Florida hosts through a statewide voluntary collection agreement.
Tax: Citrus County levies a 5% Tourist Development Tax on stays of six months or less (increased from 3% effective March 1, 2017). Combined with state sales tax and any applicable discretionary surtax, the total transient rental tax burden is approximately 11%.
Citrus County does not maintain a separate county vacation rental registry on top of the DBPR license. Florida Statute 509.032 preempts Citrus County from banning vacation rentals or capping duration or frequency of stays, since no qualifying local ordinance was in place before the June 1, 2011 cutoff.
Local enforcement applies to parking, noise, occupancy limits, trash, signage, and safety through the Citrus County Growth Management and Code Compliance departments. Operators must designate a responsible party reachable to address complaints. No owner-occupancy requirement and no primary-residence requirement apply. Enforcement severity is moderate.
Market Comparison
Hernando’s April 2026 ADR of $179.06 is below the US STR median of approximately $220 per night, reflecting the Nature Coast’s position as a nature-based, non-resort destination with lower price points than Gulf beachfront markets. At 55.8% occupancy, the market closely tracks the US STR median of roughly 55%, and February and March regularly exceed 78% occupancy.
Five property management companies lead the market. Evolve tops the list with 358 listings (4.74 rating, 13,225 reviews), followed by A and J Home Concierge with 160 listings (4.74 rating, 633 reviews), McCormick Management Vacation Rental with 106 listings (4.84 rating, 3,510 reviews), Village Valet Property Management with 102 listings (4.68 rating, 1,251 reviews), and Down Home Properties with 87 listings (4.69 rating, 1,128 reviews). These five operators account for approximately 813 listings, roughly 10.1% of the estimated 8,067-listing market.
Hernando’s high seasonality score of 81.80 out of 100 and investability score of 83.88 make it one of the more attractive markets in this analysis on those dimensions, particularly for investors who value predictable seasonal patterns over raw ADR.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hernando, Florida
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