Pequot Lakes, Minnesota Short-Term Rental Market
The Pequot Lakes / Brainerd Lakes area STR market averaged $302 a night at 62.8% occupancy in June 2026.
Quick Answer: Pequot Lakes, 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 $4,729. average daily rate in the Minnesota Area market area is $302. the top operator in the Minnesota Area market area is Evolve with 339 listings. market score is 72/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Minnesota Area regional market, which includes Pequot Lakes. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Pequot Lakes.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Pequot Lakes sits in the heart of the Brainerd Lakes Area, one of Minnesota’s premier lake country recreation destinations, and the STR performance figures below reflect this broader Brainerd Lakes Area submarket rather than the small town of Pequot Lakes alone. Visitors are predominantly Midwest leisure travelers, Twin Cities weekenders, retirees, and second-home owners drawn to lake life on Pelican Lake and the Whitefish Chain of Lakes.
As of June 2026, the Brainerd Lakes area STR market around Pequot Lakes shows an average daily rate of $302.36 with occupancy at 62.81%, essentially flat year over year (down 1.00%) even as ADR fell 3.83%. Revenue per listing rose 1.50% year over year to $4,728.95 per month for the average active listing.
Listing count, bedroom mix, and channel split data for this area are tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Pequot Lakes, so this profile omits those specific breakdowns.
Entire home rentals average $316.05 a night, above the area wide figure, while listings in the top luxury tier command $536.29 a night and professionally managed listings average $386.91, both well above the $302.36 area wide ADR.
Pequot Lakes itself has a population of just 2,651. The town is a landmark on the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway and sits along the 115-mile Paul Bunyan State Trail, with peak season centered on summer fishing, boating, and biking, plus winter ice fishing and snowmobiling traffic.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40% | $180 | $2,076 |
| Feb | 45% | $181 | $2,063 |
| Mar | 46% | $171 | $2,211 |
| Apr | 46% | $158 | $1,914 |
| May | 54% | $195 | $2,323 |
| Jun | 66% | $253 | $3,994 |
| Jul | 71% | $255 | $4,769 |
| Aug | 66% | $251 | $4,457 |
| Sep | 50% | $214 | $2,966 |
| Oct | 50% | $196 | $2,740 |
| Nov | 41% | $164 | $1,982 |
| Dec | 47% | $180 | $2,160 |
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 Pequot Lakes, so these counts are not Pequot Lakes-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 339 | 13,153 | ★ 4.77 |
| 2 | Cascade Vacation Rentals | 182 | 3,864 | ★ 4.76 |
| 3 | Heirloom | 111 | 7,480 | ★ 4.82 |
| 4 | Sota Lake Home Rentals | 61 | 1,311 | ★ 4.50 |
| 5 | Woods To Water Vacation Homes | 48 | 942 | ★ 4.95 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Pequot Lakes?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,555 |
| 2 bed | 3,011 |
| 3 bed | 2,548 |
| 4 bed | 1,420 |
| 5 bed | 875 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $316 |
| Luxury | $536 |
| Professionally Managed | $387 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $3,651 |
| Entire Place | $4,948 |
| House | $5,105 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 40% |
| vrbo | 14.3% |
| both | 45.8% |
Investment Analysis
The Brainerd Lakes area STR market around Pequot Lakes rents for $302.36 a night on average, with a real premium for higher tier properties. Listings in the top luxury tier average $536.29 a night, about 77% above the area wide ADR, while professionally managed listings average $386.91, about 28% above market. This gap points to real upside for owners who can position a lakefront property into professional management or the luxury tier.
Revenue per listing rose a modest 1.50% year over year even as occupancy and ADR both eased slightly (down 1.00% and 3.83% respectively), suggesting a market holding roughly steady rather than one in strong growth or decline. The average active listing generated $4,728.95 in monthly revenue, or roughly $56,747 annualized.
Against a typical home value of $355,724.74 (Zillow, June 2026), that annualized revenue figure equals about 16% of the purchase price on a gross basis, a strong top line ratio, though it excludes cleaning fees, management commissions, taxes, insurance, and vacancy, so actual net cash on cash returns will run below that gross figure.
A notable regulatory advantage: Pequot Lakes fully deregulated short-term rentals in February 2023, removing all permits, fees, and city oversight. This is one of the more permissive environments in this data set, though the city’s history of adopting, rescinding, and readopting STR rules since 2018 means investors should watch for the possibility of renewed regulation with future council turnover. Resale inventory is very thin at just 20 homes for sale, against a median list price of $459,966.67.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Guests book stays in the Brainerd Lakes area around Pequot Lakes an average of 90.58 days in advance, one of the longer lead times in this data set, consistent with visitors planning a lake vacation well ahead of the summer season.
Average length of stay sits at 4.02 nights, consistent with a multi-day lake getaway built around fishing, boating, or biking the Paul Bunyan State Trail rather than a single overnight stop.
Given the long booking lead time, owners have a wide window to set and adjust pricing well ahead of the summer peak, while the multi-night stay pattern supports a manageable pace of cleaning and turnover between guests.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Pequot Lakes currently does not regulate or require any permit for short-term rentals. On February 6, 2023, the City Council voted to stop regulating STRs entirely, adopting the planning and zoning commission’s recommendation after Crow Wing County rescinded its own STR ordinance. The council’s stated rationale was that property tax paying owners should be able to use their property as they wish, within reason.
This reversed a multi-year regulatory arc. The city first adopted an STR ordinance in December 2018, allowing owners to buy a $75 permit to rent up to four times between May 20 and September. In March 2021 the city rescinded that ordinance and deferred to Crow Wing County’s less restrictive STR ordinance, effective January 1, 2021. When the county later dropped its own ordinance, the city chose full deregulation rather than reinstating its own rules.
Today there is no permit, no fee, no owner occupancy requirement, no cap on rental nights, and no STR-specific zoning limit. Operators remain subject to general ordinances such as noise rules and to Minnesota state sales and lodging tax obligations on rental receipts, though no city-specific local lodging tax rate was confirmed for Pequot Lakes.
Enforcement is minimal given the absence of a regulatory framework. This is a favorable, low-barrier STR environment, but the on-again, off-again history since 2018 means rules could change again with council turnover, so investors should monitor local government activity even without a current permit requirement to comply with.
Market Comparison
The Brainerd Lakes area around Pequot Lakes shows occupancy of 62.81%, running above the broader US short-term rental median of roughly 55%, while its $302.36 average daily rate also runs well above the roughly $220 national median, reflecting a premium Minnesota lake country destination.
Property manager data for this area is tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Pequot Lakes, so this profile omits naming specific operators here.
This area’s above average occupancy and rate, combined with its fully deregulated STR environment as of 2023, one of the most permissive regulatory postures in this data set, point to a market that is both currently favorable for operators and worth monitoring for potential future regulatory change given the city’s on-again, off-again history.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pequot Lakes, Minnesota
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