Des Moines, Iowa Short-Term Rental Market
Des Moines short-term rentals averaged $173 a night at 66.2% occupancy in June 2026 across 1,528 listings.
Quick Answer: Des Moines, Iowa is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 66%. average monthly revenue is $3,179. average daily rate is $173. the top operator in Des Moines is Sheryl Richter with 48 listings. market score is 63/100 (grade C).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Des Moines, Iowa’s capital and largest metro, has 1,528 tracked short-term rental listings as of June 2026. The market averaged $173.34 a night (ADR) at 66.2% occupancy, generating an average of $3,179 in monthly revenue per listing. All three headline metrics are down year over year: occupancy is down 3.2%, ADR is down 0.9%, and revenue is down 4.1%, a softer trend than most other markets in this data set.
The listing mix is dominated by entire places: 1,331 of the 1,528 listings (87.1%) are whole units, with 197 (12.9%) private rooms. Of the 1,527 listings with bedroom data on file, 1-bedroom units are the largest group at 608 (39.8%), followed by 2-bedroom units at 361 (23.6%) and 3-bedroom units at 275 (18.0%). Larger 4-bedroom and 5-bedroom properties account for 203 (13.3%) and 80 (5.2%) of the market.
Channel distribution favors Airbnb-only listing: 834 properties (54.6%) are on Airbnb only, 603 (39.5%) are marketed on both Airbnb and Vrbo, and 91 (6.0%) are Vrbo only.
Revenue varies by property type: apartment-style units average $2,462 a month, entire-place units average $3,455, and standalone houses average $3,626, about 47% more than apartments.
Des Moines is home to about 212,421 residents and draws an estimated 14 million visitors a year across the metro, driven by business and convention travel, state government, the Iowa State Fair, and youth sports tournaments.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 52% |
| Feb | 57% |
| Mar | 59% |
| Apr | 60% |
| May | 62% |
| Jun | 70% |
| Jul | 70% |
| Aug | 67% |
| Sep | 59% |
| Oct | 59% |
| Nov | 55% |
| Dec | 55% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Des Moines are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Des Moines
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheryl Richter | 48 | 1,237 | ★ 4.14 |
| 2 | Situate Solutions | 44 | 1,426 | ★ 4.42 |
| 3 | Sleepover INC | 38 | 1,394 | ★ 4.49 |
| 4 | Midwest Hospitality+Management Co | 36 | 2,134 | ★ 4.83 |
| 5 | GRN | 21 | 2,646 | ★ 4.84 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Des Moines?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Des Moines 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 | 54.6% |
| vrbo | 6% |
| both | 39.5% |
Home Value Trends (Des Moines)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Des Moines 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 Des Moines — 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 Des Moines but require both a city short-term rental permit (rental certificate) and discretionary approval from the city’s Board of Adjustment, which can deny an application where STR density in a given neighborhood is judged too high. The annual permit fee, in effect since 2025, is $250.
Recent code changes eliminated the prior primary-residence requirement (formerly 245 days a year of owner or tenant occupancy), so non-owner-occupied STRs are now allowed and rentals can operate up to 365 days a year, though some neighborhood commercial zoning districts still require owner or tenant occupancy with the owner’s written consent. Only one STR is generally permitted per single-household detached structure, and occupancy is capped by bedroom count.
Operators must collect and remit a combined lodging tax of about 12.0% (Iowa’s state hotel and motel tax plus the city’s local hotel and motel tax). Enforcement is rated strict, given the discretionary Board of Adjustment approval, inspection requirements, and platform-enforced permit numbers (Airbnb and Vrbo listings must display a valid city permit number to be published).
Overall, Des Moines is more approval-driven than cap-driven: there is no published hard numeric limit on total permits citywide, but each application still faces a case-by-case density review that can result in denial in saturated neighborhoods.
Market Comparison
Des Moines’ 66.2% occupancy runs above the national short-term rental median of roughly 55%, about 11.2 percentage points higher, while its $173.34 ADR sits roughly 21.2% below a national median ADR of about $220. This combination, above-average occupancy at a below-average rate, is typical of a secondary metro market where steady business, convention, and event demand keeps units booked, but leisure-market pricing power is more limited than in coastal or resort destinations.
The market is led by smaller, locally-oriented operators rather than national brands. Sheryl Richter holds the top spot with 48 listings (3.1% of the market’s 1,528 tracked listings) and 1,237 reviews at a 4.14 average rating. Situate Solutions is second with 44 listings (2.9% share) and 1,426 reviews at 4.42. Sleepover INC ranks third with 38 listings (2.5% share) and 1,394 reviews at 4.49. Together, the top three managers control only about 8.5% of tracked listings, a low concentration that points to a market dominated by individual and small-scale hosts rather than large professional management companies.
Frequently Asked Questions About Des Moines, Iowa
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How much revenue does the average Des Moines short-term rental generate per month?
When is peak season for Des Moines vacation rentals?
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