Manahawkin, New Jersey Short-Term Rental Market
Manahawkin, NJ STRs averaged $293/night in April 2026, with summer peak occupancy reaching 76.4% and $487 ADR at the LBI gateway.
Quick Answer: Manahawkin, New Jersey is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Jersey Shore market area is 59%. average monthly revenue in the Jersey Shore market area is $6,795. average daily rate in the Jersey Shore market area is $536. the top operator in the Jersey Shore market area is Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Zack Shore, REALTORS with 181 listings. market score is 43/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Jersey Shore regional market, which includes Manahawkin. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Manahawkin.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
The Manahawkin, NJ short-term rental market encompasses the Stafford Township gateway and surrounding Ocean County area, tracking 5,750 active listings. Manahawkin is the mainland gateway to Long Beach Island (LBI), one of New Jersey’s premier barrier island beach destinations. In April 2026, the all-listings ADR reached $293 with occupancy at 42.6% and RevPAR at $125, reflecting pre-season shoulder conditions before the summer peak.
The market is almost entirely entire-place rentals: 5,468 listings (95.1%) are entire-place, and 282 (4.9%) are private rooms. No shared-room listings are tracked. The bedroom distribution skews toward larger vacation homes: 3-bedroom properties lead at 1,629 (28.4% of the bedroom total), followed by 2-bedroom (1,285, 22.4%), 4-bedroom (1,073, 18.7%), 5-bedroom-plus (915, 15.9%), and 1-bedroom (842, 14.7%). VRBO has an unusually strong presence here, consistent with this market’s vacation rental heritage: 2,416 properties list on both Airbnb and VRBO (42.0%), 1,912 list exclusively on Airbnb (33.3%), and 1,422 list exclusively on VRBO (24.7%).
Year-over-year in April 2026, occupancy declined 5.7%, ADR grew 3.1%, and revenue grew 5.0%. Annual averages show ADR has climbed from $257 in 2017 to a peak of $380 in 2023 and 2024, moderating to $371 in 2025, while annual occupancy declined from a 2021 peak of 55.5% to 46.7% in 2025. Full-year average monthly revenue was $4,530 in 2025. The StaySTRA composite market score is 42.6, with revenue growth scoring highest at 76.3.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32% | $245 | $2,379 |
| Feb | 44% | $240 | $2,289 |
| Mar | 44% | $241 | $2,517 |
| Apr | 46% | $257 | $2,585 |
| May | 51% | $363 | $3,062 |
| Jun | 62% | $456 | $5,760 |
| Jul | 74% | $464 | $7,788 |
| Aug | 76% | $487 | $8,530 |
| Sep | 37% | $382 | $3,833 |
| Oct | 28% | $281 | $2,646 |
| Nov | 38% | $259 | $2,532 |
| Dec | 40% | $259 | $2,748 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Jersey Shore market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Jersey Shore market as a whole, which includes Manahawkin, so these counts are not Manahawkin-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Zack Shore, REALTORS | 181 | 277 | ★ 4.48 |
| 2 | Shore Points Vacations | 89 | 258 | ★ 4.55 |
| 3 | Mary Allen Realty | 86 | 404 | ★ 4.69 |
| 4 | Evolve | 84 | 2,205 | ★ 4.57 |
| 5 | Breezy Beach Stays | 58 | 1,735 | ★ 4.98 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Manahawkin?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 842 |
| 2 bed | 1,285 |
| 3 bed | 1,629 |
| 4 bed | 1,073 |
| 5 bed | 915 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $552 |
| Luxury | $917 |
| Professionally Managed | $503 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $4,631 |
| Entire Place | $6,997 |
| House | $7,645 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 33.3% |
| vrbo | 24.7% |
| both | 42% |
Investment Analysis
At a typical home value of $591,076 in this market area, April 2026 monthly revenue of $2,870 implies an annualized gross yield of approximately 5.8%, reflecting the shoulder-season nature of April. Using the 2025 full-year average of $4,530/month (which includes the summer peak), the implied annualized gross yield rises to approximately 9.2% at current home prices. The difference between these two estimates reflects how heavily this market depends on the summer season for annual income.
Tier differentiation is significant at the upper end. Luxury listings averaged $787/night in April 2026, a 168.4% premium over the all-listings average of $293. Entire-home listings averaged $307/night (a 4.7% premium). Notably, the professionally managed tier averaged $243/night in April 2026, which is 17.1% below the market average of $293. This atypical relationship may reflect the mix of managed property types in this market: smaller or standard units tend to be assigned to professional managers, while high-ADR luxury vacation homes dominate the self-managed segment.
Revenue by property type: houses led at $3,221/month in April, a $351 premium over the all-listing average. Entire-place listings averaged $2,990. Private room/apartment units averaged $1,893, approximately 34.0% below the all-listing average.
The housing market reflects premium LBI proximity: typical home value $591,076, median list price $629,950, 83 homes for sale, and median days to pending of 14. The 14-day pending timeline indicates limited negotiating room for buyers.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Manahawkin area STR guests book an average of 46 days in advance and stay approximately 3.7 nights. The 46-day lead time is consistent with a popular summer beach destination where NY, NJ, and Philadelphia metro vacationers lock in shore rentals well ahead of the season.
The 3.7-night average stay is relatively short for a beach market. Combined with the extreme summer concentration, a property filling all available August nights turns over approximately 8 to 9 times, each requiring full cleaning and preparation.
For pricing strategy, summer rates should be set early in the calendar year to capture the advance-planning market. NJ and NY shore vacationers historically book peak summer weeks in January through March. Setting premium summer rates at booking-open and holding firm through May is more effective than last-minute discounting. A 3-night minimum stay on peak summer weekends reduces unprofitable single-night turnover. During the off-season, shorter-stay and discount midweek rates help maintain occupancy above the 28 to 32% winter baseline.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
STRs in Manahawkin/Stafford Township require a Seasonal Rental License (processed as a Certificate of Occupancy for an existing structure) issued by the Stafford Township Building Department. The initial application fee is $100, with a $50 reinspection fee if violations are cited. Owners must pass a property inspection (including heating and solid-fuel appliance certification), provide proof of paid property taxes and water/sewer service, and submit notarized owner and tenant certification forms. A new tenant certification is generally required for each new tenancy.
Occupancy limits are set case-by-case after inspection. No owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement and no annual night cap were identified. New Jersey has no statewide STR-specific license; regulation is left to each municipality.
On taxes, transient stays of fewer than 90 consecutive days are subject to New Jersey Sales Tax (6.625%) plus the State Occupancy Fee (5%), totaling approximately 11.625%. Booking platforms including Airbnb collect and remit these taxes directly. A Stafford Township municipal occupancy tax of up to 3% is permitted under state law but its adoption was not confirmed from public sources.
Enforcement is inspection/permit-based rather than through a dedicated STR enforcement program, rated moderate. Investors should confirm current fees, zoning-district eligibility, and any municipal occupancy tax directly with the Stafford Township Building and Zoning Department before listing.
Market Comparison
Manahawkin significantly outperforms national benchmarks on ADR, driven by the LBI vacation rental premium. The US STR median occupancy is approximately 55% and median ADR approximately $220. Manahawkin’s 2025 full-year average ADR of $371 is 68.6% above the national median. April 2026 ADR of $293 is 33.2% above the national median. However, 2025 annual occupancy of 46.7% trails the national ~55% benchmark, reflecting the market’s extreme summer concentration.
The StaySTRA composite score of 42.6 reflects the investment challenge: high acquisition costs and low year-round occupancy, though the revenue growth sub-score of 76.3 highlights strong historical ADR appreciation.
Among operators, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Zack Shore REALTORS leads with 181 listings and a 4.48 rating. Shore Points Vacations manages 89 listings (4.55 rating). Mary Allen Realty holds 86 listings (4.69 rating). Evolve manages 84 listings (4.57 rating). Breezy Beach Stays rounds out the top five with 58 listings and the highest rating of 4.98 across 1,735 reviews. The top three operators together manage 356 listings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Manahawkin, New Jersey
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