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 in the North Carolina Area market area is 58%. average monthly revenue in the North Carolina Area market area is $3,402. average daily rate in the North Carolina Area market area is $216. the top operator in the North Carolina Area market area 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 StaySTRA 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 |
|---|---|
| Jan | 40% |
| Feb | 50% |
| Mar | 54% |
| Apr | 56% |
| May | 55% |
| Jun | 61% |
| Jul | 66% |
| Aug | 58% |
| Sep | 52% |
| Oct | 54% |
| Nov | 49% |
| Dec | 45% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Elizabeth City are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in North Carolina Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the North Carolina Area market as a whole, which includes Elizabeth City, so these counts are not Elizabeth City-only figures.
| # | 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 nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Elizabeth City 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 | 50.1% |
| vrbo | 9.2% |
| both | 40.7% |
Home Value Trends (Elizabeth City)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City — 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
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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