Brownwood, Texas Short-Term Rental Market
Brownwood-area STRs averaged $203/night at 42.8% occupancy in April 2026, with no local permit requirement.
Quick Answer: Brownwood, Texas is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Texas East Area market area is 53%. average monthly revenue in the Texas East Area market area is $3,860. average daily rate in the Texas East Area market area is $271. the top operator in the Texas East Area market area is Evolve with 774 listings. market score is 63/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Texas East Area regional market, which includes Brownwood. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Brownwood.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
The Brownwood market area encompasses the Central Texas Hill Country region centered on Lake Brownwood and the surrounding Brown County communities. The market includes approximately 22,225 active listings, with entire-place units comprising the vast majority at 20,944 (94.2%), private rooms at 1,269, and shared rooms at 12. In April 2026, the market-wide average daily rate was $203.35 and occupancy reached 42.8%, producing a RevPAR of $86.95 and average monthly revenue of $2,435 per listing.
Year-over-year through April 2026, occupancy edged up 1.1 percentage points while ADR declined 3.4%, leaving overall revenue essentially flat (down 0.2%). The channel distribution shows dual-platform listings as the dominant pattern, with 9,670 listings appearing on both Airbnb and VRBO, 10,311 on Airbnb only, and 2,244 on VRBO only. Bedroom distribution is relatively even: 1-bedroom units lead with 7,144 listings, followed by 3-bedrooms (5,660), 2-bedrooms (5,376), 4-bedrooms (2,451), and 5-bedrooms (1,530). Demand drivers include Lake Brownwood State Park, sports tourism centered on the Brownwood Event Center Complex, and hunting and outdoor recreation across the region.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 33% |
| Feb | 41% |
| Mar | 50% |
| Apr | 41% |
| May | 44% |
| Jun | 53% |
| Jul | 53% |
| Aug | 42% |
| Sep | 39% |
| Oct | 42% |
| Nov | 41% |
| Dec | 37% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Brownwood are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Texas East Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Texas East Area market as a whole, which includes Brownwood, so these counts are not Brownwood-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 774 | 27,617 | ★ 4.71 |
| 2 | Vacasa | 238 | 8,722 | ★ 4.67 |
| 3 | FCR Partners, LP | 103 | 172 | ★ 4.68 |
| 4 | Neal’s Lodges | 97 | 170 | ★ 4.79 |
| 5 | 979 Vacation Property Services | 96 | 3,231 | ★ 4.62 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Brownwood?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Brownwood 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 | 46.4% |
| vrbo | 10.1% |
| both | 43.5% |
Home Value Trends (Brownwood)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Brownwood 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 Brownwood — 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
Brownwood has no short-term rental ordinance. The city’s zoning code (Chapter 98 of the Code of Ordinances) does not define or specifically regulate short-term or vacation rentals, and imposes no STR registration, permit, owner-occupancy, primary-residence, or annual night-cap requirement. STRs effectively operate under general residential use rules.
Operators are still subject to Texas state law: the 6% state hotel occupancy tax applies to stays of 29 days or fewer, collected and remitted to the Texas Comptroller. Airbnb and VRBO typically collect and remit the state portion automatically. Brownwood also levies a local municipal hotel occupancy tax, and the city’s Finance Department provides a hotel occupancy tax reporting form, so operators should expect to register and remit the local HOT directly. The exact local rate was not confirmed from available public sources (Texas general-law cities may levy up to 7%); verify the current rate with City Hall at 325-646-5775.
No STR-specific ordinance changes have been identified as of mid-2026. Enforcement is rated minimal. Investors should also verify any HOA or deed restrictions on the specific property before operating, as those rules operate independently of city zoning.
Market Comparison
Against national benchmarks, Brownwood’s April 2026 occupancy of 42.8% and ADR of $203.35 both sit below the national medians of approximately 55% and $220, respectively. This is characteristic of a regional inland market without a major urban anchor or beach draw, where occupancy is event-driven and ADR is constrained by the local income base.
Evolve leads the operator landscape with 774 listings and 27,617 reviews (average rating 4.71), the largest presence by a wide margin. Vacasa follows with 238 listings (4.67 rating). FCR Partners LP holds 103 listings (4.68 rating) and Neal’s Lodges manages 97 listings with a 4.79 rating. Together the top five operators account for 1,308 listings, approximately 5.9% of total supply. The low operator concentration relative to market size indicates that the independent host segment dominates, which also explains the wide performance gap between the market average and the professionally managed tier at $314.67 ADR.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brownwood, Texas
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