Baxter, Minnesota Short-Term Rental Market
Baxter, MN STRs averaged $184/night at 43.9% occupancy in April 2026, anchored by year-round demand across the 465-lake Brainerd Lakes region.
Quick Answer: Baxter, Minnesota is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 44%. average monthly revenue is $2,119. average daily rate is $184. the top operator is Evolve with 337 listings. market score is 71/100 (grade B).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
The Baxter short-term rental market serves as the commercial center of the Brainerd Lakes Area, one of Minnesota’s most recognized leisure destinations. As of April 2026, active listings numbered approximately 10,400, spanning the Crow Wing County lakes corridor. The overall average daily rate reached $184 in April 2026, with occupancy at 43.9% for the month. That occupancy figure reflects April’s off-peak position; July peaks at 71.5% occupancy with an ADR of $255.
Year-over-year, ADR rose 6.2% while revenue slipped 3.3%, indicating that rate growth has not fully offset a modest occupancy softening. RevPAR stood at $81 in April 2026.
The listing mix is heavily concentrated in entire-place rentals, which account for 92.9% of active inventory (9,675 of 10,408 listings). Private rooms represent 7.0% (727 listings), with shared rooms making up a negligible fraction (6 listings). By bedroom count, 2-bedroom properties are the most common (3,013 listings, 29%), followed by 1-bedroom (2,551, 24.5%), 3-bedroom (2,537, 24.4%), 4-bedroom (1,420, 13.7%), and 5-bedroom (876, 8.4%). The market’s investability score of 88.6 out of 100 and revenue growth score of 80.6 reflect strong underlying fundamentals despite near-term occupancy pressure.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40% | $180 | $2,076 |
| Feb | 45% | $181 | $2,063 |
| Mar | 46% | $171 | $2,213 |
| Apr | 47% | $158 | $1,915 |
| May | 55% | $190 | $2,257 |
| Jun | 66% | $247 | $3,902 |
| Jul | 71% | $255 | $4,769 |
| Aug | 66% | $251 | $4,457 |
| Sep | 50% | $214 | $2,966 |
| Oct | 50% | $196 | $2,740 |
| Nov | 41% | $164 | $1,983 |
| Dec | 47% | $180 | $2,161 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Baxter
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | 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 Baxter?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,551 |
| 2 bed | 3,013 |
| 3 bed | 2,537 |
| 4 bed | 1,420 |
| 5 bed | 876 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $196 |
| Luxury | $376 |
| Professionally Managed | $222 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $1,923 |
| Entire Place | $2,228 |
| House | $2,221 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 40.1% |
| vrbo | 14.3% |
| both | 45.7% |
Investment Analysis
At an April 2026 ADR of $184 and monthly revenue of $2,119 for an average listing, Baxter STRs generate roughly $25,400 in annualized gross revenue. Against a typical home value of $368,000, that implies a gross yield of approximately 6.9%. The median list price of $381,000 suggests entry costs are broadly in line with assessed values.
Tier differentiation is meaningful. Entire-home listings average $196/night versus $184 for the all-listings average. Professionally managed properties average $222/night, a 20.5% premium over the market average. Luxury-tier listings command $376/night, reflecting the premium lake properties anchored around Gull Lake and comparable resort-adjacent addresses.
The YoY trend warrants attention. Revenue per listing declined 3.3% year-over-year as of April 2026, while ADR gained 6.2% and occupancy ticked up 2.7 percentage points. This divergence suggests the gain in nightly rate is not yet compounding into higher total revenue, likely reflecting a shift in booking patterns or seasonality compression. The 2025 full-year average revenue per listing was $3,335, up from $3,071 in 2024 (8.6% growth), which provides a stronger baseline for underwriting than the April figure alone.
The market’s investability score of 88.6 out of 100 is the highest of the six scoring dimensions, and the revenue growth score of 80.6 reinforces the longer-term case. Based on the 2025 annual average monthly revenue of $3,335, annualized gross revenue comes to approximately $40,000 per listing per year.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time in Baxter is 43 days, meaning guests typically book just over six weeks ahead of arrival. This is a moderate lead time that creates a meaningful pricing window: operators who lock in base-rate pricing 60 to 90 days out, then adjust dynamically in the 30-day window, can capture both advance-commitment bookings and higher-rate last-minute demand during peak season.
The average length of stay is 3.95 nights, nearly four nights. This figure suggests the dominant booking pattern is the extended weekend or short weekly trip, consistent with a lake-destination market drawing primarily from the Twin Cities metro (roughly a 2-hour drive). It also has practical implications for turnover: at approximately four nights per stay, a listing can accommodate 7 to 8 stays per month in peak season.
For operators, the 43-day lead time combined with a 4-night average stay argues for minimum-stay policies of 3 to 5 nights on Friday and Saturday arrivals during June through August, and shorter minimums (2 nights) in shoulder months to capture weekend traffic.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are permitted in the Baxter and Crow Wing County area. The primary regulatory framework is the Crow Wing County Short-Term Rental License, which took effect under a revised ordinance on January 3, 2023. The annual license fee is $100 per advertised bedroom, renewed each January.
Key operational requirements include a 24/7 local contact reachable within one hour of a complaint call, verified septic compliance documentation, and an occupancy cap of 3 persons per bedroom plus 1 additional person per unit. A maximum of 2 STR licenses per parcel applies county-wide.
Baxter is an incorporated city with its own planning department. Properties within city limits are subject to Baxter’s Rental Housing Inspection and Licensing Program (in place since 2005), and may be subject to the county STR license depending on whether Baxter contracts with Crow Wing County for STR regulation. No separate Baxter city-specific STR ordinance was confirmed in the public record.
Owner-occupancy and primary-residence requirements are not part of the county ordinance. There is no published cap on the number of nights per year a property may be rented.
Minnesota’s 6.875% state sales tax applies to all rentals under 30 consecutive days. The combined occupancy tax rate is 6.88%, collected and remitted by platforms (Airbnb, VRBO) or the host directly. No confirmed Baxter-specific local lodging tax beyond the state rate was found.
Enforcement severity is rated moderate. Properties with 3 substantiated violations within one year or open land use enforcement cases are ineligible for a county license.
Market Comparison
Baxter’s April 2026 occupancy of 43.9% sits below the U.S. STR median occupancy of approximately 55%, which is expected for an off-peak spring month in a seasonally concentrated lake market. The 2025 annual average occupancy of 50.0% is closer to the national median. ADR of $184 in April 2026 compares to a U.S. median ADR of approximately $220, though Baxter’s July peak ADR of $255 exceeds that benchmark.
The professional management landscape reflects the region’s scale. Evolve leads with 337 listings and 13,110 reviews at an average rating of 4.77. Cascade Vacation Rentals holds 182 listings with 3,861 reviews at a 4.76 average. Heirloom manages 112 listings with 7,458 reviews and a 4.82 average rating. Sota Lake Home Rentals (61 listings, 4.50 average) and Woods To Water Vacation Homes (48 listings, 4.95 average) round out the top five. The top five managers collectively represent 740 listings, roughly 7% of the approximately 10,400 active listings, indicating the market is largely owner-operated with significant headroom for professional management growth.
The total market score of 71.3 out of 100 reflects a solid overall position, balanced between a high investability score (88.6) and more moderate regulation (57.9) and seasonality (58.4) scores. The revenue growth score of 80.6 is a positive signal for operators expecting continued rate appreciation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baxter, Minnesota
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