Elizabeth City, North Carolina Short-Term Rental Market
Elizabeth City, NC STRs averaged $185/night at 55.3% occupancy in April 2026 across approximately 7,748 active listings.
Quick Answer: Elizabeth City, North Carolina is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 58%. average monthly revenue is $3,402. average daily rate is $216. the top operator is Ocracoke Island Realty with 279 listings. market score is 61/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the North Carolina Area regional market, which includes Elizabeth City. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Elizabeth City.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Elizabeth City is a waterfront city on the Pasquotank River in northeastern North Carolina’s Albemarle region, known as a gateway to the Outer Banks and the Intracoastal Waterway. With a population of 18,871, the city markets itself as a boating, history, and arts destination. The associated STR market contains approximately 7,748 active listings.
In April 2026, the market posted an average daily rate of $185 and occupancy of 55.3%, generating a RevPAR of $102. Year-over-year, April 2026 showed a mixed picture: occupancy declined 1.6%, ADR fell 6.5%, but overall revenue still edged up 1.1% compared to April 2025, suggesting an increase in occupied nights that partially offset the rate decline. The 2025 full-year average occupancy was 52.8% at an ADR of $181 and monthly revenue of $2,688.
The listing mix is predominantly entire-place accommodations. Of the 7,748 active listings, 6,986 are entire-place (90%), 755 are private rooms, and 7 are shared rooms. By bedroom count, 1-bedroom properties lead at 2,240 listings, followed by 3-bedroom (2,186) and 2-bedroom (1,882) units. Four-bedroom properties account for 869 listings and 5-bedroom units add 561. Channel distribution is strongly Airbnb-weighted: 3,885 listings are Airbnb-only, 3,150 appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, and 713 are VRBO-only. The market’s total score is 60.73, with investability as the strongest dimension at 89.27 and revenue growth as the weakest at 43.69.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40% | $120 | $1,470 |
| Feb | 50% | $122 | $1,527 |
| Mar | 54% | $140 | $1,982 |
| Apr | 56% | $161 | $2,330 |
| May | 55% | $176 | $2,540 |
| Jun | 61% | $198 | $3,165 |
| Jul | 66% | $196 | $3,463 |
| Aug | 58% | $187 | $2,990 |
| Sep | 52% | $168 | $2,372 |
| Oct | 54% | $164 | $2,494 |
| Nov | 49% | $154 | $2,089 |
| Dec | 45% | $140 | $1,880 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Elizabeth City
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ocracoke Island Realty | 279 | 1,456 | ★ 4.67 |
| 2 | Evolve | 238 | 8,471 | ★ 4.71 |
| 3 | Ocracoke's Blue Heron Realty | 69 | 156 | ★ 4.66 |
| 4 | Sandhills Rentals LLC | 54 | 2,896 | ★ 4.80 |
| 5 | Stay Well Vacation Rentals | 40 | 1,225 | ★ 4.87 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Elizabeth City?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,240 |
| 2 bed | 1,882 |
| 3 bed | 2,186 |
| 4 bed | 869 |
| 5 bed | 561 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $229 |
| Luxury | $409 |
| Professionally Managed | $307 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,752 |
| Entire Place | $3,610 |
| House | $3,717 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 50.1% |
| vrbo | 9.2% |
| both | 40.7% |
Investment Analysis
Elizabeth City scores 89.27 on investability and 70.36 on rental demand. The revenue growth score of 43.69 reflects the softening ADR trend seen in recent months, though the April 2026 revenue figure still came in 1.1% above April 2025 due to occupancy volume. Longer term, annual revenue has grown from $1,680/month in 2017 to $2,688/month in 2025, a 60% increase over eight years.
In April 2026, the average listing generated $2,692 in monthly revenue. Entire-place listings averaged $2,849 per month and houses specifically averaged $2,946. Apartment-type units averaged $2,139. Annualized from the April figure, the market average projects to approximately $32,300 in gross annual revenue.
No housing price data was available in the current snapshot for this market area, so a gross yield calculation cannot be computed. Investors should source property valuations independently and apply the $2,692 average monthly revenue figure (or the full-year 2025 average of $2,688) against their specific acquisition cost.
ADR differences across tiers are notable. Luxury-tier properties averaged $350 per night in April versus the market-wide average of $185, an 89% premium. Professionally managed properties averaged $253 per night, a 37% premium over the overall market. Entire-home listings averaged $196. These spreads suggest meaningful revenue upside for well-positioned properties in higher-demand segments relative to the market average.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Guests in the Elizabeth City market book an average of 48.69 days in advance, approximately seven weeks out. This mid-range booking window reflects a mix of Outer Banks gateway travelers who plan somewhat ahead and regional visitors and boaters who book on shorter notice for waterway stops and weekend getaways.
Average length of stay is 4.15 nights, just over four nights. This is consistent with a market that serves longer weekend stays, Intracoastal Waterway cruising stop-overs, and short vacation segments rather than full-week resort bookings. The 4+ night average provides reasonable revenue per turnover while still maintaining a meaningful number of booking windows per month.
For operators, the 49-day average booking window means pricing should be actively managed about six to seven weeks ahead of key dates, particularly around summer weekends and the July peak. Properties in or near the Outer Banks corridor may benefit from monitoring demand at the broader Outer Banks level, as overflow from sold-out beachfront properties can drive demand into gateway markets like Elizabeth City.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are legal in Elizabeth City but are regulated as a defined land use under the city’s Unified Development Ordinance following Text Amendment TA 01-24, adopted through city council action around June 2024. This amendment added STR definitions and standards to the UDO and brought rentals under zoning oversight and occupancy-tax tracking.
Operators should expect to register or obtain zoning approval consistent with the UDO and to collect the Pasquotank County room occupancy tax of 6.0% plus applicable North Carolina state and local sales tax on accommodations. Airbnb collects and remits state and local sales tax and the county occupancy tax on behalf of hosts for North Carolina listings.
Several specifics could not be confirmed from primary ordinance text, as the city’s planning documents are scanned and not machine-readable. These include the exact permit fee, renewal cycle, any owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement, nightly caps, and the precise zoning districts where STRs are permitted. Investors should contact the Elizabeth City Planning and Community Development Department and the City Clerk directly before operating to confirm current registration requirements, applicable fees, and zoning eligibility for a specific property.
Enforcement is characterized as moderate: the city formalized STR rules and tax tracking in 2024, but Elizabeth City is a small market without the aggressive caps or enforcement seen in larger North Carolina tourist destinations.
Market Comparison
Elizabeth City’s April 2026 ADR of $185 is below the national STR median of approximately $220 but reasonable for a smaller inland waterfront city rather than a direct beachfront market. Occupancy of 55.3% is slightly above the U.S. STR median of approximately 55%, suggesting competitive demand relative to inventory.
The management landscape includes operators whose market coverage extends well beyond Elizabeth City proper. Ocracoke Island Realty leads with 279 listings and 1,456 reviews at a 4.67 rating, with its name indicating significant Outer Banks presence. Evolve manages 238 listings at a 4.71 rating. Ocracoke’s Blue Heron Realty operates 69 listings, Sandhills Rentals manages 54 listings with a 4.80 rating, and Stay Well Vacation Rentals rounds out the top five with 40 listings at a 4.87 rating. Together these five operators manage 680 listings, representing approximately 9% of the 7,748-listing market.
The presence of Ocracoke-branded operators in the top positions suggests that this market area as measured includes portions of the Outer Banks barrier island chain alongside Elizabeth City proper. Investors evaluating this market should account for the geographic breadth of the measured area, which spans both the inland waterfront city and coastal island properties.
Frequently Asked Questions About Elizabeth City, North Carolina
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