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 is 64%. average monthly revenue is $6,976. average daily rate is $395. the top operator 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 Apivex 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 | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27% | $197 | $1,640 |
| Feb | 39% | $208 | $1,826 |
| Mar | 52% | $274 | $3,605 |
| Apr | 41% | $264 | $3,040 |
| May | 51% | $308 | $4,011 |
| Jun | 67% | $346 | $6,161 |
| Jul | 69% | $331 | $6,105 |
| Aug | 46% | $300 | $3,923 |
| Sep | 35% | $265 | $2,581 |
| Oct | 38% | $245 | $2,594 |
| Nov | 31% | $247 | $2,084 |
| Dec | 32% | $236 | $2,083 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Dickinson
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | 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 pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,977 |
| 2 bed | 1,984 |
| 3 bed | 2,935 |
| 4 bed | 1,553 |
| 5 bed | 752 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $399 |
| Luxury | $625 |
| Professionally Managed | $447 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $4,560 |
| Entire Place | $7,056 |
| House | $8,025 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 23.4% |
| vrbo | 11.5% |
| both | 65% |
Investment Analysis
Dickinson’s investability score of 77.98 and revenue growth score of 83.42 are the standout signals in an otherwise mid-tier market. Average monthly revenue of $3,361 across all listing types in April 2026 translates to a rough annualized figure near $40,330 at current rates, though seasonal variance is significant and this figure should be stress-tested against shoulder and trough months.
Tier comparisons are meaningful here. The all-listings ADR of $291 compares to an entire-home tier ADR of $294 (negligible spread) and a luxury tier ADR of $475, indicating a 63% premium for top-tier properties. Professionally managed properties average $321 per night, an 10% premium over the market average, suggesting that quality management and presentation generates measurable rate uplift.
Houses outperform the market as a category: revenue for house listings averaged $3,837 per month versus $3,395 for entire-place listings and $2,277 for apartments. Investors evaluating property type should weight single-family homes accordingly.
No Zillow housing data was available for this area at time of publication, so a home value benchmark for entry cost and yield calculation cannot be provided. Investors should source local comps independently before underwriting returns. The regulation score of 69.21 indicates moderate regulatory clarity, though the SUP-based permitting system does introduce discretionary approval risk for new operators.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Dickinson STR guests book an average of 37 days in advance, placing this market in a moderate lead-time range. This lead time reflects the nature of the demand base: primarily Houston-metro visitors planning Galveston-area trips who book roughly 5 weeks ahead, far enough in advance for a weekend getaway but not the extended planning horizon seen in destination vacation markets.
Average length of stay is 3.0 nights, consistent with a weekend-plus pattern. This stay profile means higher turnover frequency than longer-stay resort markets, with associated cleaning and coordination costs that operators should factor into net revenue projections.
A 37-day booking window gives operators a meaningful opportunity to use dynamic pricing adjustments 4-6 weeks out from open dates, particularly for the high-demand June-July period when demand is strong enough to push rates. For shoulder-season gaps, earlier discounting (6-8 weeks out) may improve fill rates given that the core demand driver, Galveston beach proximity, is weather-dependent and planned in advance.
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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