Salem, Massachusetts Short-Term Rental Market
Salem short-term rentals averaged $299 per night at 72.5% occupancy in June 2026 across 14,496 listings.
Quick Answer: Salem, Massachusetts is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Boston market area is 72%. average monthly revenue in the Boston market area is $5,537. average daily rate in the Boston market area is $299. the top operator in the Boston market area is Blueground with 648 listings. market score is 53/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Boston regional market, which includes Salem. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Salem.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Salem’s short-term rental market includes 14,496 active listings tracked across Airbnb and Vrbo. In June 2026, the average daily rate was $299.17 with a high 72.5% occupancy, producing average monthly revenue of $5,536.62 per listing. Occupancy is up 2.14 percentage points year over year, ADR is up 3.25%, and average revenue per listing is up a strong 16.83% year over year, the largest revenue gain in this batch.
The market has an unusually large private-room segment for this data set: 10,568 of the 14,496 total listings (72.9%) are entire-place, but 3,918 (27.0%) are private rooms, and 10 are shared rooms, a mix that points to a significant furnished-corporate-housing and room-rental presence alongside traditional whole-unit STRs. Bedroom count skews heavily toward smaller units, with 1-bedroom the dominant bucket at 7,795 listings, followed by 2-bedroom at 3,194, 3-bedroom at 2,018, 4-bedroom at 939, and 5-bedroom-plus the smallest segment at 510. By booking channel, 9,380 listings are Airbnb-only, 4,391 appear on both Airbnb and Vrbo, and 725 are Vrbo-only.
Salem, Massachusetts, population 44,795, draws roughly 1.8 million visitors annually, powered overwhelmingly by dark and witch tourism tied to the 1692 witch trials. The month-long Haunted Happenings Halloween festival alone pulled over 1 million visitors in October 2024, with about a third of Salem’s tourism economy concentrated in that single month. StaySTRA’s market scoring gives this area a strong rental demand score of 87.08, against a lower investability score of 51.88, reflecting the tight regulatory environment detailed below.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52% | $128 | $1,899 |
| Feb | 60% | $130 | $1,919 |
| Mar | 65% | $149 | $2,506 |
| Apr | 65% | $172 | $2,843 |
| May | 68% | $192 | $3,407 |
| Jun | 72% | $212 | $3,980 |
| Jul | 75% | $198 | $3,957 |
| Aug | 75% | $200 | $4,018 |
| Sep | 72% | $187 | $3,542 |
| Oct | 74% | $195 | $3,980 |
| Nov | 58% | $159 | $2,593 |
| Dec | 53% | $143 | $2,169 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Boston market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Boston market as a whole, which includes Salem, so these counts are not Salem-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blueground | 648 | 325 | ★ 4.16 |
| 2 | Evonify | 249 | 6,320 | ★ 4.58 |
| 3 | Club Quarters Hotels | 125 | 1,849 | ★ 4.71 |
| 4 | Maverick Suites | 124 | 24,964 | ★ 4.60 |
| 5 | Compass Furnished Apartments | 122 | 157 | ★ 4.91 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Salem?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 7,795 |
| 2 bed | 3,194 |
| 3 bed | 2,018 |
| 4 bed | 939 |
| 5 bed | 510 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $367 |
| Luxury | $589 |
| Professionally Managed | $337 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $5,694 |
| Entire Place | $6,722 |
| House | $5,430 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 64.7% |
| vrbo | 5% |
| both | 30.3% |
Investment Analysis
ADR varies by listing tier. All-listing average ADR is $299.17, entire-home listings average a notably higher $366.99, and professionally managed listings command $337.12, a 12.7% premium over the all-listings average. The luxury tier tops out at $588.50 per night, about 2.0x the market average. Average revenue per listing is up 16.83% year over year, the strongest revenue growth in this batch, supported by gains in both occupancy and ADR.
No current Zillow-sourced housing snapshot (typical home value, median sale price, or list price) is available for Salem in this data set, so a home-price-to-revenue yield comparison cannot be calculated here honestly; that figure should be sourced separately before underwriting an acquisition. Critically, Salem is effectively closed to new investor-owned STRs: the city banned new non-owner-occupied short-term rentals in 2018, and only a legacy group that was already operating before July 16, 2018 (and secured a Zoning Board of Appeals special permit within the original window) may continue as non-owner-occupied operators. New STR registrations are limited to the owner’s principal-residence unit. This makes Salem primarily an owner-occupied hosting opportunity rather than a scalable investment-property market, which should be the first consideration for any prospective buyer.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time in Salem is 74.31 days, giving operators over two months to adjust pricing ahead of a stay, and typical length of stay is 4.52 nights. This combination reflects a mix of planned Halloween-season heritage tourism and furnished corporate-housing stays, consistent with the market’s unusually large 27.0% private-room and heavy 1-bedroom mix. Operators should plan advance-purchase pricing around the October Haunted Happenings festival specifically, since roughly a third of Salem’s tourism economy is concentrated in that single month, while using the steadier off-peak occupancy floor (never below 51%) to support consistent corporate or extended-stay bookings the rest of the year.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Salem tightly regulates short-term rentals (rentals under 30 consecutive days). Every STR must be registered annually with the city for a $50.00 fee and pass an annual Certificate of Fitness inspection administered through the City’s building and inspectional services. The most important rule for investors: new non-owner-occupied STRs are banned. An STR may only operate in the unit that is the owner’s principal residence for new registrations. The only non-owner-occupied STRs still permitted are a legacy group that was already operating before July 16, 2018 and obtained a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals within the original deadline window; that pathway is closed to new entrants.
Zoning further restricts STRs to certain neighborhoods and bars them from single-family (R1) residential zones, and no more than three unrelated persons may occupy a unit. Operators must collect a combined room occupancy excise of roughly 10.70% (5.7% state plus 5.00% Salem local option). Failing to register carries fines starting at $100 and penalties that can include permanent prohibition from registering the property. Enforcement is characterized as strict. In early 2026 the city circulated draft revisions to its residential rental inspections ordinance, including a proposed multi-year inspection schedule, though the core 2018 ban on new non-owner-occupied STRs remains in force. Note: separate reports of a February 2026 STR ordinance moving permitting to a City Housing Director with a $72 fee describe Salem, Ohio, not Salem, Massachusetts, and do not apply here.
Market Comparison
Salem’s 72.5% occupancy is well above commonly cited US STR benchmarks (roughly 55% occupancy nationally), and its $299.17 ADR is also above the roughly $220 national median, reflecting strong, resilient demand tied to both Halloween tourism and Boston-adjacent corporate housing.
Property management is led by Blueground, a corporate-housing operator, with 648 listings (325 reviews, 4.16 average rating), about 4.5% of the 14,496 tracked listings. Evonify ranks second with 249 listings (6,320 reviews, 4.58 rating), followed by Club Quarters Hotels with 125 listings (4.71 rating), Maverick Suites with 124 listings (24,964 reviews, the most reviews of any operator in the top five), and Compass Furnished Apartments with 122 listings (the highest rating in the top five at 4.91). The presence of multiple corporate-housing brands in the top five reinforces that Salem’s STR market has a substantial furnished-housing component alongside tourist-oriented rentals. The top 5 PMs combined control about 8.7% of listings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Salem, Massachusetts
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Can I open a new non-owner-occupied short-term rental in Salem, MA?
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