Jacksonville, North Carolina Short-Term Rental Market
Jacksonville, NC STRs averaged $242/night at 48.7% occupancy in April 2026 across roughly 5,260 active listings.
Quick Answer: Jacksonville, North Carolina is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Morehead City/Emerald Isle market area is 73%. average monthly revenue in the Morehead City/Emerald Isle market area is $6,589. average daily rate in the Morehead City/Emerald Isle market area is $354. the top operator in the Morehead City/Emerald Isle market area is Bluewater Vacation Rentals with 557 listings. market score is 56/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Morehead City/Emerald Isle regional market, which includes Jacksonville. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Jacksonville.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Jacksonville, NC sits at the center of Onslow County, anchored by Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River. That military presence shapes the short-term rental market in ways that distinguish it from typical beach or mountain destinations. Demand comes from personnel visits, military graduations, homecomings, deployments, and business travel to the base, rather than purely leisure tourism.
As of April 2026, the market recorded an average daily rate of $242 and occupancy of 48.7%, producing a RevPAR of $117.78. Year-over-year, ADR rose 9.0% and revenue grew 10.1%, though occupancy dipped 3.7 percentage points, indicating that rate increases are driving revenue gains even as occupancy softens slightly.
The supply base spans approximately 5,260 listings across bedroom categories: 928 studios or one-bedrooms, 1,302 two-bedrooms, 1,755 three-bedrooms, 799 four-bedrooms, and 477 five-bedroom-plus units. Larger units dominate the mix, reflecting demand from groups visiting base personnel. Entire-place listings account for 5,110 of the total (97%), with 155 private rooms and just 1 shared room. Channel distribution shows 2,915 listings on both Airbnb and VRBO, 1,344 Airbnb-only, and 1,007 VRBO-only, indicating broad multi-channel exposure among active operators.
The overall market score is 56.48 out of 100, with investability (75.58) and revenue growth (82.94) scoring notably higher than seasonality (44.25).
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 36% |
| Feb | 46% |
| Mar | 54% |
| Apr | 54% |
| May | 60% |
| Jun | 75% |
| Jul | 78% |
| Aug | 65% |
| Sep | 51% |
| Oct | 48% |
| Nov | 41% |
| Dec | 38% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Jacksonville are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Morehead City/Emerald Isle market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Morehead City/Emerald Isle market as a whole, which includes Jacksonville, so these counts are not Jacksonville-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bluewater Vacation Rentals | 557 | 506 | ★ 4.50 |
| 2 | Vacasa | 276 | 6,357 | ★ 4.37 |
| 3 | Evolve | 153 | 6,899 | ★ 4.68 |
| 4 | Casago | 152 | 2,112 | ★ 4.34 |
| 5 | Spectrum Rental Properties | 126 | 2,213 | ★ 4.78 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Jacksonville?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Jacksonville 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 | 25.5% |
| vrbo | 19.1% |
| both | 55.4% |
Home Value Trends (Jacksonville)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville — 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
Jacksonville, NC currently operates without a short-term-rental-specific ordinance. The city does not require an STR permit, registration, or license. There is no owner-occupancy requirement, no primary-residence restriction, and no confirmed annual-night cap at the city level. STRs are governed by the general Unified Development Ordinance zoning framework.
The primary compliance obligation is tax. Lodging stays under 90 consecutive days are subject to Onslow County’s 3% occupancy (room) tax, remitted monthly by the 15th via the county’s GovOS/MuniRevs portal. North Carolina accommodations are also subject to state and local sales tax (4.75% state plus 2.25% Onslow County local, totaling 7%). Stays of 90 or more consecutive days are exempt from the county occupancy tax.
North Carolina’s Vacation Rental Act governs written rental agreements and security deposit handling statewide. Enforcement severity is classified as minimal based on available data.
Note: Several online guides conflate Jacksonville, NC with Jacksonville, FL and Jacksonville, OR. Rules reported elsewhere, including R-1/R-2 bans, a September 2024 STR elimination vote, and Historic Core-only zoning, apply to Jacksonville, Oregon and do not apply here. Hosts should verify current zoning directly with the City of Jacksonville Planning and Development Department (910-938-5236) and Onslow County Finance before listing.
Market Comparison
The US median STR occupancy is approximately 55%, and the national median ADR is approximately $220. Jacksonville’s April 2026 occupancy of 48.7% sits below the national median, reflecting the non-resort character of the market and its seasonal trough proximity in April. The ADR of $242 is above the national median, driven partly by the large-unit mix (3-bedrooms represent 33% of supply) and the demand premium for military-adjacent accommodations.
Among the top operators, Bluewater Vacation Rentals leads with 557 listings and a 4.50 average rating. Vacasa holds 276 listings with a 4.37 rating and 6,357 reviews. Evolve manages 153 listings with the highest rating among the top three at 4.68. Casago and Spectrum Rental Properties each operate over 125 listings with ratings above 4.34. The concentration of professional management across the top five operators totaling 1,264 listings represents roughly 24% of the estimated listing base, a meaningful share that contributes to the higher ADR seen in the professionally managed tier ($324 vs. $242 overall).
Frequently Asked Questions About Jacksonville, North Carolina
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