Dickinson, Texas Short-Term Rental Market
Dickinson STRs averaged $291/night at 40.2% occupancy in April 2026 across a large coastal Texas market.
Quick Answer: Dickinson, Texas is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Galveston market area is 64%. average monthly revenue in the Galveston market area is $6,976. average daily rate in the Galveston market area is $395. the top operator in the Galveston market area is Vacasa with 386 listings. market score is 54/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Galveston regional market, which includes Dickinson. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Dickinson.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
The Dickinson, Texas short-term rental market covers a broad Galveston County corridor along I-45, positioned between Houston and Galveston Island. The market is dominated by entire-place listings, which account for 9,046 of approximately 9,216 active units (98.2%). Private rooms add 161 listings and shared rooms just 9.
In April 2026, the average daily rate across all listing types was $291, with revenue averaging $3,361 per listing for the month. Occupancy ran at 40.2% for April, a shoulder-month reading that tracks the seasonal pattern for a market heavily influenced by Galveston beach demand.
Year-over-year as of April 2026, occupancy slipped 1.4 percentage points and ADR declined 1.5%, while average revenue per listing increased 3.7%, suggesting that operators are generating more revenue despite slightly softer rate and occupancy metrics, likely through longer stays or improved yield management.
By bedroom mix, 3-bedroom properties lead the market (2,935 units), followed by 2-bedrooms (1,984), 1-bedrooms (1,977), 4-bedrooms (1,553), and 5-bedroom-plus properties (752). Channel distribution shows the majority of listings appear on both Airbnb and VRBO (5,994 listings on both platforms), with 2,160 Airbnb-only and 1,062 VRBO-only operators. The market scores 53.85 overall, with particularly high marks for revenue growth potential (83.42 out of 100) and investability (77.98), offset by moderate rental demand (50.58) and moderate seasonality (47.46).
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 27% |
| Feb | 39% |
| Mar | 52% |
| Apr | 41% |
| May | 51% |
| Jun | 67% |
| Jul | 69% |
| Aug | 46% |
| Sep | 35% |
| Oct | 38% |
| Nov | 31% |
| Dec | 32% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Dickinson are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Galveston market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Galveston market as a whole, which includes Dickinson, so these counts are not Dickinson-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 386 | 21,460 | ★ 4.39 |
| 2 | Ryson Vacation Rentals by Vtrips | 370 | 7,450 | ★ 4.33 |
| 3 | Evolve | 354 | 17,277 | ★ 4.57 |
| 4 | Sand `N Sea Properties | 195 | 1,185 | ★ 4.66 |
| 5 | Cobb Real Estate | 190 | 3,899 | ★ 4.79 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Dickinson?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Dickinson 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 | 23.4% |
| vrbo | 11.5% |
| both | 65% |
Home Value Trends (Dickinson)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Dickinson 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 Dickinson — 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
Dickinson permits short-term rentals under a Specific Use Permit (SUP) framework established in the city’s Unified Development Code, effective August 2024. STRs are an allowed use only in two zoning districts: Rural Residential (RR) and Commercial Residential (CR). Standard single-family residential districts do not provide for vacation rental use, which effectively limits new STR operations to properties that fall within RR or CR zoning.
The SUP is a discretionary approval, meaning it goes through Planning and Zoning review and City Council rather than being an over-the-counter registration. This introduces approval uncertainty that does not exist in registration-only markets.
Owner occupancy is not required, so investor-owned, non-owner-occupied properties are eligible where zoning qualifies. Operators must designate a local responsible party within the 200-foot notification area who can respond to incidents within 30 minutes. Parking requirements are 2 spaces plus 1 per rented room, with on-street parking prohibited. Signage is limited to one non-illuminated sign of 4 square feet or less.
The SUP lapses if a property goes 9 consecutive months without rental activity as reported through state occupancy tax filings. Operators must collect and remit Texas state hotel occupancy tax (6% state rate) plus applicable Dickinson municipal hotel occupancy tax. The specific Dickinson local rate was not confirmed from primary sources. No per-night cap or annual night limit was identified in available data. Enforcement is rated moderate.
Market Comparison
Relative to broad U.S. STR benchmarks (roughly 55% median occupancy, $220 median ADR nationally), Dickinson’s April 2026 reading of 40.2% occupancy and $291 ADR places this market above average on rate but below average on occupancy. The occupancy gap partly reflects April being a shoulder month; summer peak occupancy of nearly 70% is well above national medians.
The market’s revenue growth score of 83.42 out of 100 suggests that the data model sees above-average revenue growth trajectory for this area relative to comparable markets, even with the modest year-over-year occupancy and rate declines in April 2026.
On operator concentration, the top 5 property managers hold substantial share. Vacasa leads with 386 listings (4.2% of total market), followed closely by Ryson Vacation Rentals by Vtrips (370 listings) and Evolve (354 listings). Sand N Sea Properties (195 listings, 4.66 average rating) and Cobb Real Estate (190 listings, 4.79 average rating) round out the top 5. The combined top-5 share of approximately 1,495 listings represents about 16% of the roughly 9,216-unit market, indicating a fragmented market where independent operators hold the majority of inventory.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dickinson, Texas
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