Stuart, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Stuart STRs averaged $220/night at 55.8% occupancy in June 2026 across 5,338 active listings.
Quick Answer: Stuart, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 56%. average monthly revenue is $3,305. average daily rate is $220. the top operator is Evolve with 191 listings. market score is 71/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Port St. Lucie regional market, which includes Stuart. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Stuart.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Stuart counted 5,338 active short-term rental listings in the latest snapshot, with entire-place units at 91.1% of supply (4,861 listings), private rooms at 8.9% (475), and shared rooms at 0.04% (2). Average daily rate was $220.41 at 55.77% occupancy in June 2026, generating average monthly revenue of $3,305 per listing. Year over year, occupancy fell 5.0 percentage points, ADR rose 2.8%, and revenue declined 6.5% compared to June 2025.
Bedroom mix is fairly balanced with a lean toward smaller units: 2-bedroom listings are the largest category at 31.5% of supply (1,676), followed closely by 1-bedroom at 31.0% (1,652), 3-bedroom at 25.2% (1,342), 4-bedroom at 8.9% (476), and 5-bedroom at 3.4% (183). On booking channels, 50.3% of listings (2,684) are on both Airbnb and Vrbo, 36.9% (1,971) are Airbnb-only, and 12.8% (683) are Vrbo-only.
Population is 18,520. Stuart is the seat of Martin County on Florida’s Treasure Coast, a mid-market leisure destination rather than a mass-tourism hub, known as ‘America’s Happiest Seaside Town’ (Coastal Living, 2016) for its walkable historic downtown and Riverwalk along the St. Lucie River. The market posts a strong revenue growth score of 94.96 out of 100, against a lower rental demand score of 61.66 and regulation score of 61.20.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70% | $171 | $3,142 |
| Feb | 85% | $187 | $3,754 |
| Mar | 80% | $198 | $4,196 |
| Apr | 56% | $180 | $2,900 |
| May | 54% | $165 | $2,465 |
| Jun | 62% | $183 | $2,924 |
| Jul | 64% | $170 | $2,963 |
| Aug | 52% | $151 | $2,327 |
| Sep | 51% | $133 | $1,874 |
| Oct | 56% | $140 | $2,084 |
| Nov | 59% | $158 | $2,367 |
| Dec | 62% | $176 | $2,751 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Stuart
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 191 | 5,617 | ★ 4.63 |
| 2 | Paradise Vacation Rentals | 157 | 259 | ★ 4.39 |
| 3 | Hutchinson Island Real Estate | 73 | 37 | ★ 4.33 |
| 4 | Right Direction Rentals | 57 | 169 | ★ 4.71 |
| 5 | Island Beach Resort | 35 | 383 | ★ 4.48 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Stuart?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,652 |
| 2 bed | 1,676 |
| 3 bed | 1,342 |
| 4 bed | 476 |
| 5 bed | 183 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $231 |
| Luxury | $470 |
| Professionally Managed | $359 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,321 |
| Entire Place | $3,481 |
| House | $3,722 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 36.9% |
| vrbo | 12.8% |
| both | 50.3% |
Investment Analysis
Rate tiers show a wide spread by property positioning. The blended average daily rate of $220.41 compares to $231.38 for the entire-home tier (5.0% above blended), $358.84 for professionally managed listings (62.8% above blended), and $469.97 for the luxury tier, 113.2% above blended, more than double the market average. That gap is among the widest luxury premiums in this batch, pointing to significant upside for operators positioned at the top of the market.
Revenue declined 6.5% year over year through June 2026, driven by a 5.0-point drop in occupancy that outweighed a 2.8% ADR gain, a demand-side softening worth monitoring rather than a pricing problem. Against a typical home value of $377,595, average listing revenue of $3,305 per month ($39,662 annualized) implies a gross yield of roughly 10.5% before operating expenses, mortgage costs, taxes, or management fees.
On the acquisition side, homes are selling at 84.3% of list price on average with a median 64 days to pending and 803 active listings for sale, indicating meaningful room to negotiate below asking. Houses generate the highest average revenue at $3,722 per month, 12.6% above the all-listings blended average, while apartments trail at $2,321, about 29.8% below blended, a wide property-type spread.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time is 40.3 days, meaning most guests book about six weeks before arrival, a moderate window consistent with a leisure destination that draws regional drive travelers alongside longer-distance visitors.
Average length of stay is 6.10 nights, one of the longer average stays among comparable Florida markets, closer to a full week. That longer stay pattern, combined with a moderate booking window, points to guests planning multi-night riverfront or coastal getaways rather than short weekend trips, which can help operators reduce per-night turnover costs relative to shorter-stay markets.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are legal in Stuart. Florida preempts total local bans, so the city cannot outright prohibit STRs but does regulate them. Operators must hold a Florida DBPR vacation rental license (Vacation Rental Dwelling for houses and townhomes, or a Condominium license) once renting more than three times per year, register the property with the City of Stuart, and obtain a City Business Tax Receipt, which runs on an annual cycle (October 1 to September 30).
Operators must also collect and remit lodging taxes totaling roughly 11% on stays of six months or less: Florida’s 6% state sales tax plus Martin County’s 5.0% Tourist Development (‘bed’) Tax, the latter remitted directly to the Martin County Tax Collector (Airbnb and Vrbo do not automatically handle the county TDT for all hosts). There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement, and no explicit annual night cap. STRs are permitted in most residential zones unless an HOA or POA restricts them.
Enforcement is complaint-driven but can be aggressive once triggered: unpermitted conversions and code violations have drawn fines of $100 per violation per day, with one Stuart case (228 SE Ila Street) reaching $18,850. The city has stepped up STR and vacation-rental code enforcement in 2024 to 2025, pursuing fines for unpermitted rental conversions, with a March 2025 magistrate order in that case. Enforcement is rated moderate overall.
Market Comparison
Stuart runs close to typical U.S. short-term rental benchmarks on both key metrics. At 55.77% occupancy, the market is about 0.8 percentage points above the roughly 55% national median, essentially in line. Average daily rate of $220.41 is about 0.2% above the roughly $220 national median ADR, also essentially matching the national figure.
Among property managers, Evolve leads with 191 active listings (3.6% of the area’s 5,338 total listings) and 5,617 reviews at a 4.63 average rating. Right Direction Rentals holds the highest guest rating among the top five at 4.71 across 57 listings. Paradise Vacation Rentals ranks second by listing count with 157 listings. The top five combined operators hold 513 listings, about 9.6% of total inventory, indicating a market still dominated by independent and smaller operators.
Frequently Asked Questions About Stuart, Florida
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