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 in the Lakeland/Winter Haven market area is 60%. average monthly revenue in the Lakeland/Winter Haven market area is $3,905. average daily rate in the Lakeland/Winter Haven market area is $242. the top operator in the Lakeland/Winter Haven market area 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 StaySTRA 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 |
|---|---|
| Jan | 50% |
| Feb | 69% |
| Mar | 71% |
| Apr | 56% |
| May | 52% |
| Jun | 63% |
| Jul | 66% |
| Aug | 57% |
| Sep | 42% |
| Oct | 55% |
| Nov | 53% |
| Dec | 54% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Polk City are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Lakeland/Winter Haven market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Lakeland/Winter Haven market as a whole, which includes Polk City, so these counts are not Polk City-only figures.
| # | 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 nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Polk City 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 | 40.2% |
| vrbo | 10.5% |
| both | 49.3% |
Home Value Trends (Polk City)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Polk City 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 Polk City — 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 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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