Allentown, Pennsylvania Short-Term Rental Market
Allentown, PA short-term rentals averaged $207 a night at 57% occupancy in June 2026 across roughly 13,100 listings.
Quick Answer: Allentown, Pennsylvania is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Pennsylvania Area market area is 57%. average monthly revenue in the Pennsylvania Area market area is $3,184. average daily rate in the Pennsylvania Area market area is $207. the top operator in the Pennsylvania Area market area is Evolve with 372 listings. market score is 92/100 (grade A).
Market data reflects the Pennsylvania Area regional market, which includes Allentown. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Allentown.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Allentown, PA is the largest city in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and carries roughly 13,100 active short-term rental listings as of June 2026: 7,363 listed on Airbnb only, 1,000 on VRBO only, and 4,769 listed on both platforms. Airbnb-only listings outnumber VRBO-only listings by more than seven to one, underscoring Airbnb’s dominance as the primary booking channel in this market. Entire-place listings make up the bulk of inventory at 11,475, versus 1,644 private-room listings and just 13 shared-room listings. By bedroom count, 1-bedroom units lead at 4,497 listings, followed by 2-bedroom units at 3,308, 3-bedroom units at 3,024, 4-bedroom units at 1,346, and 5-bedroom units at 944.
In the most recent month of data (June 2026), the average daily rate across all listings was $206.56 and average occupancy was 56.95%. Average monthly revenue per listing was $3,184, with standalone houses averaging $3,637 a month and entire-place listings averaging $3,425, both well ahead of the $2,103 average for apartment-style listings.
Year over year, occupancy rose 2.3 percentage points and average daily rate is roughly flat, up 0.36%, while revenue per listing climbed 6.1%. Allentown’s total market score is 91.94 out of 100, among the strongest in the platform, anchored by an investability score of 93.93 and a rental demand score of 73.91, with a regulation score of 68.61 that reflects the city’s licensing and zoning-driven, rather than STR-specific, oversight. Allentown itself has 125,976 residents, and the wider two-county Lehigh Valley region drew about 16.6 million visitors in 2024, generating over $2.5 billion in visitor spending, driven largely by regional day-trippers and weekenders from the New York City and Philadelphia metro areas.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40% | $168 | $1,995 |
| Feb | 46% | $172 | $2,009 |
| Mar | 42% | $139 | $1,693 |
| Apr | 48% | $142 | $1,800 |
| May | 51% | $159 | $2,038 |
| Jun | 57% | $178 | $2,670 |
| Jul | 62% | $179 | $3,029 |
| Aug | 59% | $178 | $2,925 |
| Sep | 48% | $161 | $2,162 |
| Oct | 50% | $160 | $2,281 |
| Nov | 45% | $153 | $1,916 |
| Dec | 46% | $162 | $2,044 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Pennsylvania Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Pennsylvania Area market as a whole, which includes Allentown, so these counts are not Allentown-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 372 | 15,238 | ★ 4.66 |
| 2 | RedAwning | 65 | 212 | ★ 4.42 |
| 3 | MVR Vacation Rentals | 45 | 1,640 | ★ 4.85 |
| 4 | BNB Breeze | 43 | 3,650 | ★ 4.84 |
| 5 | Equestrian House PA | 42 | 76 | ★ 4.47 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Allentown?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 4,497 |
| 2 bed | 3,308 |
| 3 bed | 3,024 |
| 4 bed | 1,346 |
| 5 bed | 944 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $221 |
| Luxury | $398 |
| Professionally Managed | $301 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,103 |
| Entire Place | $3,425 |
| House | $3,637 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 56.1% |
| vrbo | 7.6% |
| both | 36.3% |
Investment Analysis
Pricing tiers in Allentown show one of the widest luxury premiums in this data set. The all-listing average daily rate of $206.56 compares to $220.94 for the entire-home tier, $300.95 for professionally managed listings (about 46% above the all-listing average), and $397.57 for the luxury tier, roughly a 92% premium over the market average. That gap points to significant upside for operators who can move a property into the professionally managed or luxury segment.
Revenue growth here is broad-based: average monthly revenue per listing rose 6.1% year over year to $3,184, alongside a 2.3-point occupancy gain to 56.95% and a nearly flat average daily rate, up just 0.36%. In other words, most of the recent revenue growth in Allentown has come from more nights booked rather than higher nightly rates.
On the acquisition side, Zillow’s typical home value for the Allentown market is $320,863, well below many other markets in this data set, while the median sale price runs lower still at $280,792 against a median list price of $291,600, with homes selling at 96.3% of list price in a median 7 days to pending, a fast-moving market. Against the $3,184 average monthly revenue per listing, about $38,206 annualized, that implies a gross short-term rental yield of roughly 11.9% of the typical home value, before the $75 annual rental license fee, roughly 10% combined lodging tax, and operating costs.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Guests book Allentown short-term rentals an average of 64.2 days in advance, and the average length of stay is 3.74 nights, a shorter stay than many markets in this data set. That combination points to a market built more around short weekend and event trips than extended stays, consistent with visitors coming from the New York City and Philadelphia metro areas, both within about 90 minutes.
The 64-day booking window gives operators substantial room to plan pricing around the July peak and the Great Allentown Fair, PPL Center concert schedule, and IronPigs baseball season well in advance. At a 3.74-night average stay, a fully booked calendar implies roughly 98 turnovers a year, meaningfully more frequent cleaning and turnover cycles than markets with longer average stays, a cost factor operators should build into pricing. The shorter stay also means cleaning, restocking, and check-in coordination scale with booking volume more than in longer-stay markets, worth weighing against the $75 annual rental license fee when budgeting per-unit costs.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Allentown has no standalone short-term-rental ordinance. Instead, STRs fall under the city’s Residential Rental License program (part of its Rental Unit Registration and Inspection Program), which requires every rental unit, including short-term or transient units, to register and pay a $75 annual license fee, renewed each year. Licensing requires a passing safety inspection, with units inspected on roughly a five-year cycle.
Because there is no STR-specific code, legality depends primarily on the zoning district and the certificate of occupancy. Residential zones commonly prohibit transient, under-30-day commercial use, so investors need to confirm zoning before operating rather than assume city-wide approval. A narrow exemption allows one owner-designated vacation or secondary residence per owner, provided the owner personally occupies it at least three consecutive months a year, documented with 12 months of utility bills.
There is no citywide owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement beyond that exemption, and no cap on rental nights per year. On taxes, stays under 30 days carry Pennsylvania’s 6% state hotel occupancy tax plus Lehigh County’s 4% hotel room rental tax, about 10% combined, which the area profile records as a 10% occupancy tax rate. Booking platforms including Airbnb and VRBO collect and remit the county tax under Pennsylvania Act 109 of 2018. Enforcement is rated moderate, and licenses can be revoked for zoning violations, unpaid utilities, or disorderly conduct.
Market Comparison
Allentown’s 56.95% average occupancy in the latest month sits close to the roughly 55% median occupancy typically seen across the broader US short-term rental market, while its $206.56 average daily rate runs below the roughly $220 national median. That is a market performing near or slightly above national occupancy norms at a below-average nightly rate, consistent with Allentown’s positioning as a regional drive-market destination rather than a premium leisure destination.
Evolve is the dominant property manager in Allentown, with 372 listings, 15,238 reviews, and a 4.657 average rating, far ahead of the next-largest operator. RedAwning ranks second with 65 listings and a 4.423 rating, followed by MVR Vacation Rentals (45 listings, a market-leading 4.852 rating), BNB Breeze (43 listings, 4.843 rating), and Equestrian House PA (42 listings, 4.471 rating). Combined, the top 5 managers hold about 567 listings, roughly 4.3% of the market’s approximately 13,100 total listings, indicating a fragmented market with one clear leader in Evolve and a long tail of smaller operators.
Frequently Asked Questions About Allentown, Pennsylvania
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