Fairmont, Minnesota Short-Term Rental Market
Fairmont, MN STRs averaged $184/night at 43.9% occupancy in April 2026, with ADR up 6.2% year-over-year.
Quick Answer: Fairmont, 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 Fairmont. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Fairmont.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Fairmont is a small lakeside city of 10,176 residents in Martin County, southern Minnesota, marketed as the City of Lakes for its interconnected chain of five lakes: George, Sisseton, Budd, Hall, and Amber. The STR market draws regional visitors for boating, fishing, kayaking, and water sports, as well as I-90 corridor travelers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts.
In April 2026, the average daily rate was $184 at 43.9% occupancy, producing RevPAR of $80.99. Year-over-year in April 2026, occupancy rose 2.71 percentage points and ADR increased 6.16%. Per-listing revenue for April 2026 came in at $2,119, which the data reports as 3.27% below the prior April; the combination of rising occupancy and ADR alongside lower reported revenue likely reflects a change in the mix or count of active listings in the comparison period.
The market is nearly entirely entire-place: 9,675 of approximately 10,408 tracked listings are entire-place units, with 727 private rooms and 6 shared rooms. Bedroom distribution is balanced across 2-bedroom (3,013), 1-bedroom (2,551), and 3-bedroom (2,537) units, with fewer 4-bedroom (1,420) and 5-bedroom (876) units. Channel distribution is relatively balanced: 4,753 listings appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, 4,169 are Airbnb-only, and 1,486 are VRBO-only.
Market scores: total 71.3, investability 88.6, revenue growth 80.6, rental demand 69.6, seasonality 58.4, regulation 57.9.
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 Fairmont 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 Fairmont, so these counts are not Fairmont-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 Fairmont?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Fairmont 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 (Fairmont)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Fairmont 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 Fairmont — 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
Fairmont has no short-term-rental-specific ordinance. STRs are permitted and operate under the city’s general Rental Housing Ordinance, which applies the same licensing and inspection framework to all residential rentals regardless of length of stay.
Operators must register each rental unit and pay a registration fee of $5 per unit (capped at $100 per rental complex), and pass a city inspection before renting. Inspections recur every three years, with inspection fees of approximately $40 per unit for 1 to 4 unit buildings. A copy of the license must be posted inside the kitchen sink cabinet. There is no maximum nights per year, no owner-occupancy requirement, and no primary-residence requirement.
Lodging rented for 30 days or less is subject to a local lodging tax. The area profile reports this at 3%; the Minnesota Department of Revenue sales-tax chart listed a 2% local lodging rate for Fairmont, so operators should confirm the current applicable rate with the city before operating. State and local Minnesota sales taxes also apply to short-term lodging receipts.
Enforcement is complaint-driven, with the city investigating complaints within 48 hours. No recent ordinance changes were identified. Investors should contact Fairmont Community Development at 507-238-3933 to confirm current zoning conformance, license fees, and the applicable lodging tax rate before listing.
Market Comparison
At $184 ADR and 43.9% occupancy in April 2026, Fairmont sits below the US STR median occupancy of approximately 55% and is in line with the national median ADR of roughly $220 on an annual-average basis (the 2025 annual ADR was $241). The market’s RevPAR of $80.99 reflects its off-peak April reading; the summer months push monthly revenue well above the April baseline.
The total market score of 71.3 reflects the market’s strengths and limits. Investability scores 88.6, driven by the low entry cost and favorable gross yield potential. Revenue growth scores 80.6, consistent with the 42% ADR increase from 2017 to 2025. The lower rental demand score of 69.6 and the seasonality score of 58.4 reflect the seasonal concentration and limited year-round demand base.
Professional management is present but not dominant. Evolve leads with 337 listings, followed by Cascade Vacation Rentals (182 listings) and Heirloom (112 listings). Sota Lake Home Rentals (61 listings) and Woods To Water Vacation Homes (48 listings) represent local operators with lake-specific specialization. The top five operators hold 740 combined listings, a meaningful share of the market but not the overwhelming concentration seen in some coastal markets. Local operators with lake-area knowledge compete effectively alongside national platforms here.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fairmont, Minnesota
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