Clayton, North Carolina Short-Term Rental Market
Clayton, NC STRs averaged $160/night at 63.5% occupancy in April 2026 with year-over-year revenue growth of 9.0%.
Quick Answer: Clayton, North Carolina is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 67%. average monthly revenue is $2,964. average daily rate is $159. the top operator is Evolve with 106 listings. market score is 88/100 (grade A).
Market data reflects the Raleigh/Durham regional market, which includes Clayton. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Clayton.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Clayton, NC’s short-term rental market stands out for high occupancy in a suburban setting. In April 2026, the market posted 63.45% occupancy, $159.61 average daily rate, and RevPAR of $101.27 across approximately 7,922 active listings. Year-over-year performance is the strongest of the five markets in this batch: occupancy rose 9.14% and revenue grew 9.01%, with ADR holding nearly flat at -0.24%.
Clayton functions primarily as a bedroom community and suburban hub approximately 20 miles southeast of Raleigh, drawing visitors tied to the Triangle’s tech and life-sciences employment base, regional day-trippers, and sports event travelers rather than traditional leisure tourism. Johnston County visitor spending reached $314.59 million in 2024, up 5.2% year-over-year.
Entire-place listings make up 6,456 of the 7,922 total (81.5%). Private rooms account for 1,470 and shared rooms 21, a notably higher private-room share than most STR markets. Bedroom distribution: 1-bedrooms lead at 3,077, then 3-bedrooms (1,991), 2-bedrooms (1,874), 4-bedrooms (729), and 5-bedrooms (251). Airbnb is the dominant channel with 4,858 exclusive listings; VRBO accounts for 375, and 2,714 listings appear on both platforms. The market scores 87.55 overall, with rental demand at 92.07 and seasonality at 94.20 — both among the highest possible scores.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55% | $104 | $1,664 |
| Feb | 63% | $109 | $1,738 |
| Mar | 65% | $116 | $2,058 |
| Apr | 63% | $123 | $2,090 |
| May | 63% | $131 | $2,231 |
| Jun | 68% | $125 | $2,330 |
| Jul | 70% | $115 | $2,196 |
| Aug | 68% | $113 | $2,161 |
| Sep | 65% | $114 | $1,991 |
| Oct | 68% | $121 | $2,303 |
| Nov | 64% | $121 | $2,089 |
| Dec | 59% | $116 | $1,969 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Clayton
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 106 | 3,065 | ★ 4.52 |
| 2 | Coveted Hospitality | 99 | 1,152 | ★ 4.18 |
| 3 | Landing | 91 | 10 | ★ 3.72 |
| 4 | Landing, Inc. | 74 | 174 | ★ 4.55 |
| 5 | Triangle short term rentals | 69 | 1,400 | ★ 4.78 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Clayton?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 3,077 |
| 2 bed | 1,874 |
| 3 bed | 1,991 |
| 4 bed | 729 |
| 5 bed | 251 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $175 |
| Luxury | $257 |
| Professionally Managed | $174 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,458 |
| Entire Place | $3,285 |
| House | $3,192 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 61.1% |
| vrbo | 4.7% |
| both | 34.2% |
Investment Analysis
Clayton NC offers a high-occupancy, moderate-ADR investment profile. At 63.45% occupancy and $159.61 ADR in April 2026, average monthly revenue reached $2,783. Annualized at that run rate, a property would generate approximately $33,398 in gross revenue before expenses. No housing snapshot data is available for this area, preventing a yield calculation against home values.
The tier comparison shows limited spread between all-listings and professionally managed ADR: $159.61 all-listings versus $177.42 professionally managed and $177.07 entire-home, a $17-18 premium. The luxury tier at $256.61 is 1.6x the market average, a narrower luxury premium than many leisure markets. This pattern is consistent with a suburban market where unit quality and guest experience matter but extreme pricing power is constrained by the availability of alternatives in the broader Raleigh-Durham metro.
The annual revenue series shows consistent growth from $1,352 monthly average in 2017 to $2,537 in 2024 and $2,588 in 2025, with no year of absolute decline in the history. The 2021 surge (+57% from 2020) was driven more by occupancy gains than ADR. Post-2022, occupancy has settled around 61-66% and ADR has moved steadily from $133 in 2022 to $145-149 in 2025. The 9.01% revenue growth through April 2026 suggests the upward trend has re-accelerated.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
The average booking lead time in Clayton, NC is 37.32 days, roughly five weeks in advance. This is consistent with a suburban market where guests often plan shorter-radius trips with less advance commitment than coastal or mountain destination travelers.
The average length of stay is 4.34 nights, slightly above four nights. For a bedroom-community market, this is notable: it suggests Clayton attracts guests staying for extended work-related visits, relocation scouting trips, or multi-day family visits tied to the area’s growing employment base. At 4.34 nights average, cleaning and turnover frequency is lower than it would be in a weekend-dominant 2-night market. The combination of a 37-day lead time and a 4-night stay average gives operators a moderate pricing window to hold rates before discounting becomes necessary.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Clayton, NC does not have a dedicated short-term rental ordinance. STRs are legal and governed through the Town’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO, effective January 2, 2024, amended through November 2025), which controls permitted uses by zoning district. No STR-specific permit scheme, owner-occupancy requirement, primary-residence requirement, or annual night cap has been documented. The profile notes enforcement as minimal, consistent with the absence of a dedicated STR program.
Operators should verify with Clayton Planning (919-553-5002) whether an STR constitutes a residential or lodging use in their specific zoning district before listing. The UDO has been amended multiple times, so current use-table treatment should be confirmed directly.
On taxes: North Carolina imposes a 6.75% state sales and use tax on gross lodging receipts. Johnston County levies a 3% room occupancy tax. No separate Town of Clayton occupancy tax was identified in the profile. Operators are responsible for registering with the North Carolina Department of Revenue and remitting both state and county taxes. North Carolina’s Vacation Rental Act sets statewide rules for vacation rental agreements and limits how aggressively localities can impose registration requirements.
Market Comparison
Clayton’s April 2026 occupancy of 63.45% is well above the US STR median of approximately 55%. Its ADR of $159.61 is below the national median of roughly $220, but the revenue output of $2,783 monthly is competitive for a market at this price point. The overall market score of 87.55 is the highest of the five markets in this batch, driven by rental demand (92.07) and seasonality (94.20).
The investability score of 64.84 is the lowest of the scored dimensions here, likely reflecting the absence of housing price data and the suburban market’s more constrained luxury ADR ceiling. Revenue growth at 66.00 is moderate, though the 9.01% year-over-year revenue gain in April 2026 outperforms that score.
On the operator side, Evolve leads with 106 listings and 3,065 reviews (4.52 rating). Coveted Hospitality ranks second with 99 listings and 1,152 reviews (4.18 rating). Landing appears in both third and fourth positions (Landing: 91 listings/10 reviews/3.72 rating; Landing, Inc.: 74 listings/174 reviews/4.55 rating), reflecting a split listing attribution for what is likely the same brand. Triangle Short Term Rentals ranks fifth with 69 listings and 1,400 reviews at a strong 4.78 rating. The top-5 operators combined represent 439 listings, approximately 5.5% of total market inventory.
Frequently Asked Questions About Clayton, North Carolina
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