Stanton, Kentucky Short-Term Rental Market
Stanton short-term rentals averaged $255 per night at 55.6% occupancy in June 2026 across 1,426 listings.
Quick Answer: Stanton, Kentucky is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 56%. average monthly revenue is $4,051. average daily rate is $255. the top operator is Red River Gorge Cabin Rentals with 125 listings. market score is 90/100 (grade A).
Market data reflects the Red River Gorge regional market, which includes Stanton. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Stanton.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Stanton’s short-term rental market includes 1,426 active listings tracked across Airbnb and Vrbo. In June 2026, the average daily rate was $255.40 with occupancy at 55.6%, producing average monthly revenue of $4,050.56 per listing. Occupancy is up slightly (0.80 points), ADR is up 1.16%, and average revenue per listing is up 1.23% year over year, a modestly positive trend across all three metrics.
The market is dominated by entire-place rentals: 1,366 of the 1,426 total listings (95.8%) are entire-place, private rooms make up 57 (4.0%), and shared rooms are rare at 3 listings, a cabin-rental market with almost no shared or room-only inventory. Bedroom count skews smaller, with 1-bedroom units the largest bucket at 487 listings, followed closely by 2-bedroom at 480, 3-bedroom at 293, 4-bedroom at 102, and 5-bedroom-plus the smallest segment at 60. By booking channel, 773 listings appear on both Airbnb and Vrbo, 569 are Airbnb-only, and 84 are Vrbo-only.
Stanton is the county seat of Powell County, Kentucky, population 3,171, and markets itself as ‘the Gateway to the Red River Gorge,’ the primary jumping-off point for one of the eastern U.S.’s busiest outdoor-recreation destinations. The Red River Gorge / Natural Bridge region draws over 1 million annual visitors, predominantly rock climbers, hikers, kayakers, and family vacationers arriving by car from regional metros including Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis. StaySTRA’s market scoring gives this area a perfect investability score of 100.0 and total score of 90.28.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31% | $180 | $1,706 |
| Feb | 38% | $193 | $1,807 |
| Mar | 55% | $202 | $2,943 |
| Apr | 52% | $199 | $2,925 |
| May | 51% | $206 | $2,956 |
| Jun | 58% | $220 | $3,518 |
| Jul | 59% | $208 | $3,504 |
| Aug | 49% | $208 | $2,965 |
| Sep | 47% | $202 | $2,663 |
| Oct | 65% | $209 | $3,848 |
| Nov | 51% | $203 | $2,925 |
| Dec | 37% | $201 | $2,247 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Stanton
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red River Gorge Cabin Rentals | 125 | 1,165 | ★ 4.76 |
| 2 | Red River Gorge Getaways | 113 | 14,768 | ★ 4.83 |
| 3 | StayOver @ Red River Gorge | 75 | 7,997 | ★ 4.66 |
| 4 | Red River Gorge Scenic Cabin Rentals | 64 | 3,975 | ★ 4.64 |
| 5 | Red River Gorgeous Wilderness Cabin Rentals | 53 | 2,937 | ★ 4.83 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Stanton?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 487 |
| 2 bed | 480 |
| 3 bed | 293 |
| 4 bed | 102 |
| 5 bed | 60 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $259 |
| Luxury | $381 |
| Professionally Managed | $271 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $1,145 |
| Entire Place | $4,163 |
| House | $4,203 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 39.9% |
| vrbo | 5.9% |
| both | 54.2% |
Investment Analysis
ADR varies by listing tier, though the spread is narrower here than in many markets. All-listing average ADR is $255.40, entire-home listings average $258.60, and professionally managed listings average $270.99, only a 6.1% premium over the all-listings average. The luxury tier tops out at $381.38 per night, about 1.5x the market average. Average revenue per listing is up 1.23% year over year, a modest gain supported by small increases in both occupancy and rate.
On the acquisition side, Zillow-sourced housing data puts the typical home value at just $160,540.98, notably low for a market with over $4,000 in average monthly STR revenue, against a much higher median list price of $345,000.00 (only 40 homes for sale). Annualizing the average listing’s $4,050.56 monthly revenue to $48,606.70 against the $160,540.98 typical home value works out to a gross revenue yield of roughly 30.3%, the highest figure in this batch of markets, before cleaning, management, mortgage, insurance, and the $300.00 permit and county/city tax costs. That is a gross topline figure, not a net cash-on-cash return, and the gap between typical home value and median list price suggests list prices skew toward larger cabin-style properties built specifically for the STR market rather than the area’s baseline housing stock.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time in Stanton is 48.10 days, and typical length of stay is a short 2.78 nights, the shortest average stay in this data set. This combination is consistent with a weekend-trip outdoor-recreation market centered on rock climbing, hiking, and Red River Gorge day trips rather than extended vacations. With such short average stays, cleaning and turnover cadence should be built into pricing more heavily than in longer-stay markets, and the roughly 48-day booking window gives operators time to set advance pricing around the October peak and major local events like the Corn Festival and Powell County Fair.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Stanton explicitly permits and regulates short-term rentals under City Ordinance 22-002, adopted in 2022. Operators must register the property with the Planning & Zoning Office, obtain a city business license costing $300.00 for the first unit and $100 per additional unit, and secure a Conditional Use Permit from the Board of Adjustment, reviewed annually. STRs are allowed only in R-1 or R-2 residential zoning districts.
There is no stated owner-occupancy requirement for the property owner, though the rented unit cannot serve as the primary residence of the party leasing it (i.e., stays must remain under 30 consecutive days). Taxes stack: a 3.00% City transient room tax paid monthly to Stanton plus a separate 3% Powell County transient room tax, for a 6.00% combined room tax, on top of the business license fee. Operational rules require adequate off-street parking (paved or graveled, no on-street guest parking), prohibit advertising signage on the property, and require owners to prevent criminal or nuisance activity; the Zoning Administrator may inspect the interior upon notice. Enforcement is characterized as moderate: zoning violations can carry fines up to $250 per violation per day (up to $5,000/day for corporations), and licenses can be denied or revoked for inadequate parking or repeated violations. No cap on nights per year is specified.
Market Comparison
Stanton’s 55.6% occupancy is close to commonly cited US STR benchmarks (roughly 55% occupancy nationally), while its $255.40 ADR runs above the roughly $220 national median, reflecting strong demand for cabin-style lodging near a major outdoor-recreation draw.
Property management here is unusually concentrated around Red River Gorge-branded operators. Red River Gorge Cabin Rentals leads with 125 listings (1,165 reviews, 4.76 average rating), about 8.8% of the 1,426 tracked listings. Red River Gorge Getaways ranks second with 113 listings (14,768 reviews, the highest rating in the top five at 4.83, 7.9% share), followed by StayOver @ Red River Gorge with 75 listings, Red River Gorge Scenic Cabin Rentals with 64 listings, and Red River Gorgeous Wilderness Cabin Rentals with 53 listings. The top 5 PMs combined control about 30.2% of listings, a notably concentrated top tier compared to most markets in this batch, indicating a mature, professionally managed cabin-rental market.
Frequently Asked Questions About Stanton, Kentucky
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