Polk City, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Polk City short-term rentals averaged $242 per night at 59.6% occupancy in June 2026 across 8,438 listings.
Quick Answer: Polk City, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 60%. average monthly revenue is $3,905. average daily rate is $242. the top operator is Evolve with 179 listings. market score is 87/100 (grade A).
Market data reflects the Lakeland/Winter Haven regional market, which includes Polk City. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Polk City.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Polk City’s short-term rental market includes 8,438 active listings tracked across Airbnb and Vrbo as of the latest snapshot. In June 2026, the average daily rate stood at $242.42 with occupancy at 59.6%, producing average monthly revenue of $3,904.62 per listing. Compared to a year earlier, occupancy is down 4.25 percentage points and ADR is down 0.28%, but average revenue per listing is up 1.28% year over year, suggesting operators are offsetting softer demand with modest rate or mix adjustments.
The market leans heavily toward whole-unit rentals: entire-place listings account for 7,371 of the 8,438 total (87.4%), private rooms make up 1,060 (12.6%), and shared rooms are rare at just 7 listings. Bedroom count skews toward larger properties, with 5-bedroom-plus units the single largest bucket at 3,135 listings, followed by 1-bedroom units at 1,620, 4-bedroom at 1,585, 3-bedroom at 1,290, and 2-bedroom the smallest segment at 798. By booking channel, 4,158 listings appear on both Airbnb and Vrbo, 3,392 are Airbnb-only, and 888 are Vrbo-only.
Polk City itself is a small town of roughly 3,097 residents situated between Tampa and Orlando in Polk County, Florida. The county’s tourism board reports approximately 5.19 million annual visitors countywide, with Polk City’s own draw centered on Fantasy of Flight, an aviation attraction, plus the Van Fleet State Trail and Green Swamp wilderness area. StaySTRA’s market scoring puts this area’s investability at 89.31 out of 100 and revenue growth at 92.18, with a lower rental demand score of 57.77, reflecting the seasonal occupancy swings documented below.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50% | $208 | $2,774 |
| Feb | 69% | $213 | $3,388 |
| Mar | 71% | $234 | $4,023 |
| Apr | 56% | $219 | $2,975 |
| May | 52% | $211 | $2,801 |
| Jun | 63% | $247 | $3,794 |
| Jul | 66% | $246 | $4,074 |
| Aug | 57% | $221 | $3,267 |
| Sep | 42% | $191 | $2,207 |
| Oct | 55% | $203 | $2,710 |
| Nov | 53% | $210 | $2,662 |
| Dec | 54% | $233 | $3,104 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Polk City
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 179 | 4,635 | ★ 4.57 |
| 2 | RedAwning | 164 | 793 | ★ 4.24 |
| 3 | Vacasa | 126 | 2,251 | ★ 4.42 |
| 4 | Top Villas | 111 | 493 | ★ 4.47 |
| 5 | Master Vacation Homes | 99 | 3,309 | ★ 4.73 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Polk City?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,620 |
| 2 bed | 798 |
| 3 bed | 1,290 |
| 4 bed | 1,585 |
| 5 bed | 3,135 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $255 |
| Luxury | $492 |
| Professionally Managed | $315 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $3,115 |
| Entire Place | $4,126 |
| House | $4,072 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 40.2% |
| vrbo | 10.5% |
| both | 49.3% |
Investment Analysis
ADR varies sharply by listing tier. All-listing average ADR is $242.42, entire-home listings average $254.86, and professionally managed listings command $314.92, roughly a 30% premium over the all-listings average. The luxury tier tops out at $492.29 per night, more than double the market average, signaling meaningful upside for higher-end product in this market. Revenue per listing is up 1.28% year over year even as occupancy fell 4.25 points, which points to rate discipline or a mix shift toward higher-ADR listings offsetting fewer booked nights.
On the acquisition side, Zillow-sourced housing data puts the typical home value at $257,010.01 and the median list price at $461,983.33 (93 homes currently for sale), a wide gap that suggests list prices skew toward larger or newer inventory than the typical home. Annualizing the average listing’s $3,904.62 monthly revenue to $46,855.50 against the $257,010.01 typical home value works out to a gross revenue yield of roughly 18.2%, before accounting for cleaning, management, mortgage, insurance, and STR permit/tax costs. That is a gross topline figure, not a net cash-on-cash return, but it is a useful screening number. Investors should weight the entire-place segment (87.4% of listings) and the professionally managed tier’s $314.92 ADR premium when underwriting acquisition targets here.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time in Polk City is 59.34 days, meaning most guests book roughly two months ahead of their stay. This is a longer lead time than typical last-minute urban markets, giving operators a wider pricing window to adjust rates as a stay date approaches. Average length of stay is 5.44 nights, well above the 2-3 night average common in weekend-getaway markets, consistent with the area’s positioning as a stopover or extended-stay option between Tampa and Orlando. Turnover costs (cleaning, restocking) are spread across fewer, longer bookings than in short-stay markets, which can improve per-stay profitability even when nightly rate is held flat. Operators can use the roughly 59-day average lead time to set advance-booking discounts without materially cannibalizing near-term demand, since most bookings are already arriving well ahead of the stay date.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are legal in Polk City. Florida state law (Chapter 509, F.S.) preempts local governments from banning STRs outright, so operators here are subject to a stacked set of state and county requirements rather than a Polk City-specific STR ordinance. Any property rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days must be licensed as a Vacation Rental through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). At the county level, operators need a Polk County Class B Local Business Tax Receipt and must register for a Tourist Development Tax account, renewed annually. Polk County’s occupancy/tourist development tax is 5.00%, collected on top of Florida’s state sales/use tax on transient rentals.
There is no maximum nights-per-year cap, no owner-occupancy requirement, and no primary-residence requirement for STRs in this market. Zoning eligibility runs through the Polk County Land Development Code; notably, Polk County Ordinance 25-0415 permanently prohibits short-term rental use of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), including those built before the ordinance took effect. Enforcement is characterized as moderate, handled at the county level. As of the profile update, Polk County commissioners have been weighing additional STR penalties and regulations, so operators should confirm current requirements directly with Polk County Growth Management and Polk City Planning & Zoning before listing a property.
Market Comparison
Polk City’s 59.6% occupancy and $242.42 ADR both run ahead of commonly cited US STR benchmarks (roughly 55% occupancy and $220 ADR nationally), positioning this market as an above-average performer on both metrics, even with occupancy down 4.25 points year over year.
Property management here is fragmented but has an identifiable top tier. Evolve leads with 179 listings (4,635 reviews, 4.57 average rating), about 2.1% of the 8,438 tracked listings. RedAwning ranks second with 164 listings (793 reviews, 4.24 rating, 1.9% share), and Vacasa is third with 126 listings (2,251 reviews, 4.42 rating, 1.5% share). Top Villas (111 listings, 4.47 rating) and Master Vacation Homes (99 listings, 4.73 rating, the highest-rated of the top five) round out the top five operators. With the top 5 PMs combined controlling under 8% of listings, the market remains largely self-managed or served by smaller regional managers, which can mean more inconsistent guest experience but also more acquisition opportunity for a professional operator to differentiate on service quality.
Frequently Asked Questions About Polk City, Florida
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