Alexandria, Minnesota Short-Term Rental Market
Alexandria, MN STRs averaged $184/night at 43.9% occupancy in April 2026, with a market investability score of 88.6 out of 100.
Quick Answer: Alexandria, Minnesota is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Minnesota Area market area is 63%. average monthly revenue in the Minnesota Area market area is $5,579. average daily rate in the Minnesota Area market area is $320. the top operator in the Minnesota Area market area is Evolve with 337 listings. market score is 71/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Minnesota Area regional market, which includes Alexandria. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Alexandria.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Alexandria, Minnesota sits in the heart of Minnesota’s lakes country, drawing visitors to more than 200 lakes across Douglas County. The short-term rental market here reflects that lakeside focus: entire-place listings dominate at 93% of the tracked inventory (9,675 of 10,408 listing observations), while private rooms account for roughly 7%. Two-bedroom properties represent the largest bedroom segment, followed closely by one-bedroom and three-bedroom units, with four- and five-bedroom lakefront homes rounding out the supply.
In April 2026, the most recent data month, Alexandria STRs posted an average daily rate of $184 and occupancy of 43.9%, yielding RevPAR of $81. Average monthly gross revenue for that month was $2,119 per listing. Occupancy rose 2.7 percentage points year over year, and ADR improved 6.2% compared to April 2025. Revenue for the month was 3.3% below the prior-year April figure, reflecting the mix of a modestly lower occupancy base versus the prior cycle’s post-pandemic surge period.
On a channel basis, a substantial share of listings (4,753) appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, indicating operators here maintain multi-channel distribution. Airbnb-only listings number 4,169 versus 1,486 VRBO-only, confirming Airbnb as the primary booking platform but VRBO as a meaningful secondary source given the property type mix.
The market’s composite investment score is 71.3 out of 100, with investability scoring particularly high at 88.6 and revenue growth at 80.6. Seasonality (58.4) and regulation (57.9) scores are mid-range, reflecting the pronounced summer peaks and the county’s licensing requirements. Rental demand scores 69.6.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 40% |
| Feb | 45% |
| Mar | 46% |
| Apr | 47% |
| May | 54% |
| Jun | 66% |
| Jul | 71% |
| Aug | 66% |
| Sep | 50% |
| Oct | 50% |
| Nov | 41% |
| Dec | 47% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Alexandria are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Minnesota Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Minnesota Area market as a whole, which includes Alexandria, so these counts are not Alexandria-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 337 | 13,110 | ★ 4.77 |
| 2 | Cascade Vacation Rentals | 182 | 3,861 | ★ 4.76 |
| 3 | Heirloom | 112 | 7,458 | ★ 4.82 |
| 4 | Sota Lake Home Rentals | 61 | 1,310 | ★ 4.50 |
| 5 | Woods To Water Vacation Homes | 48 | 939 | ★ 4.95 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Alexandria?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Alexandria 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 | 40.1% |
| vrbo | 14.3% |
| both | 45.7% |
Home Value Trends (Alexandria)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Alexandria 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 Alexandria — 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 permitted in Alexandria and Douglas County under an annual licensing regime administered by Horizon Environmental Health. Both the City of Alexandria (Ordinances 789 and 793) and the Douglas County Lodging Ordinance (adopted March 6, 2018) require a license for any private or vacation home rental. Licenses are non-transferable and run on a calendar-year basis (January 1 through December 31), with renewals due by December 1 each year. Properties applying on or after October 1 receive a pro-rated half-year fee.
The 2025 fee schedule is tiered by bedroom count: $300 for one- to two-bedroom properties, $400 for three-bedroom properties, and $500 for properties with four or more bedrooms. An additional $90 applies if the property uses a private well or septic system. Required documentation includes an aerial property image showing boundaries, parking, and utilities; a septic compliance certificate for private systems; and a current water test (coliform and nitrates) for private wells.
Occupancy is capped at three guests per bedroom, with a hard maximum of 12 overnight guests unless a conditional use permit is obtained. There is no maximum-nights-per-year limit, no owner-occupancy requirement, and no primary-residence restriction.
Tax obligations include Minnesota state sales tax (6.875%), Douglas County general sales tax (0.5%), and Alexandria’s 3% local lodging tax, for a combined effective rate of approximately 10.4%. Enforcement is classified as moderate. No ordinance amendments have been recorded in public documents since 2021 as of May 2026.
Market Comparison
Alexandria’s April 2026 occupancy of 43.9% sits below the U.S. STR median of approximately 55%, which is expected for a shoulder month in a seasonal lake market. July occupancy of 71.5% exceeds the national median by a significant margin, reflecting the intensity of summer lakefront demand. The all-listings ADR of $184 for April is below the U.S. median ADR of approximately $220, though July’s $255 ADR is above it.
The 2025 annual average ADR of $241 for Alexandria matches or slightly exceeds the national median, suggesting the market has priced to reflect its seasonal premium even when averaged across slower winter months.
On the operator landscape, Evolve leads Alexandria with 337 active listings and 13,110 reviews at a 4.77 average rating. Cascade Vacation Rentals holds 182 listings (4.76 rating), and Heirloom manages 112 with high review volume (7,458 reviews) and a 4.82 rating. Together, these three operators represent a significant share of professionally managed inventory and set the competitive benchmark for service standards and pricing. Sota Lake Home Rentals and Woods To Water Vacation Homes are smaller local operators with 61 and 48 listings respectively, with Woods To Water holding the highest average rating in the top five at 4.95.
Frequently Asked Questions About Alexandria, Minnesota
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