Ashford, Washington Short-Term Rental Market
Ashford WA STRs averaged $221/night at 45.7% occupancy in April 2026, serving as the gateway to Mount Rainier National Park.
Quick Answer: Ashford, Washington is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 59%. average monthly revenue is $4,611. average daily rate is $299. the top operator is Vacasa with 300 listings. market score is 54/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Washington State Area regional market, which includes Ashford. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Ashford.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Ashford is an unincorporated community in Pierce County, Washington, with approximately 303 year-round residents. It sits roughly six miles from the Nisqually Entrance to Mount Rainier National Park, the park’s only year-round gateway, making it the primary overnight lodging hub for the park’s approximately 1.67 million annual visitors. The STR market is almost entirely composed of entire-place rentals: 8,375 of approximately 8,933 tracked listings (93.8%) are whole-unit properties, with 554 private rooms and 4 shared rooms rounding out the mix.
The bedroom distribution skews toward smaller and mid-size properties: 1-bedrooms lead with 3,020 listings, followed by 2-bedrooms (2,186), 3-bedrooms (2,165), 4-bedrooms (971), and 5-bedrooms (580). In April 2026, the market averaged $221 per night at 45.7% occupancy, producing a RevPAR of $101. Year-over-year performance showed occupancy declining 1.7% and revenue declining 2.6%, while ADR grew 2.5%, indicating that pricing held but demand softened. The platform split is roughly balanced: 4,239 listings are on Airbnb only, 4,114 appear on both platforms, and 580 are on VRBO only.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38% | $228 | $2,478 |
| Feb | 45% | $217 | $2,372 |
| Mar | 45% | $194 | $2,340 |
| Apr | 49% | $199 | $2,518 |
| May | 52% | $223 | $2,856 |
| Jun | 60% | $256 | $3,867 |
| Jul | 67% | $261 | $4,745 |
| Aug | 67% | $260 | $4,709 |
| Sep | 52% | $234 | $3,314 |
| Oct | 45% | $209 | $2,675 |
| Nov | 42% | $211 | $2,335 |
| Dec | 45% | $249 | $3,014 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Ashford
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 300 | 12,673 | ★ 4.50 |
| 2 | Evolve | 289 | 14,471 | ★ 4.75 |
| 3 | Suncadia Resort | 147 | 348 | ★ 4.26 |
| 4 | Bloomer Estates Vacation Rentals | 97 | 6,733 | ★ 4.83 |
| 5 | All Seasons Vacation Rentals | 81 | 8,823 | ★ 4.91 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Ashford?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 3,020 |
| 2 bed | 2,186 |
| 3 bed | 2,165 |
| 4 bed | 971 |
| 5 bed | 580 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $309 |
| Luxury | $544 |
| Professionally Managed | $437 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $3,188 |
| Entire Place | $4,776 |
| House | $5,066 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 47.5% |
| vrbo | 6.5% |
| both | 46.1% |
Investment Analysis
Ashford presents a straightforward regulatory environment with no owner-occupancy requirement, no annual cap on rental nights, and no hard permit cap. Pierce County requires a notarized Vacation Rental Affidavit filed with Planning and Public Works, plus a Washington State business license, but does not publish a flat STR permit fee. This positions Ashford as investor-friendly relative to most Pacific Northwest markets.
The revenue picture is more nuanced. Average monthly revenue in April 2026 was $2,629 across all property types. House-category properties averaged $2,839 and entire-place listings averaged $2,720. Annualizing the April figure yields approximately $31,548, though the 2025 annual average of $3,467 per month implies a trailing 12-month run rate closer to $41,604. The divergence between the April reading and the 2025 annual average reflects the market’s strong summer concentration: July and August have historically averaged $4,744 and $4,709 respectively. No housing price data is available in the source data, so yield-on-cost calculations are not possible here. The luxury tier averaged $404/night versus the all-listings average of $221, an 83% premium. Professionally managed properties averaged $315/night, a 43% premium over the all-listings rate. The revenue growth score of 48.6 and a year-over-year revenue decline of 2.6% suggest the market is under mild demand pressure, likely related to broader national park visitation trends since the post-pandemic peak in 2021.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Ashford guests book an average of 42 days in advance, reflecting the mix of advance-planning hikers and climbers booking park access and more spontaneous weekend travelers. This 42-day window aligns well with the typical planning timeline for national park trips, where trailhead permits and lodging are often secured together. Average length of stay is 3.3 nights, slightly above the regional average, consistent with a destination market where travel involves meaningful drive time from Seattle or Tacoma.
A 3.3-night average at current occupancy implies roughly 7 to 8 turnovers per month, a moderate cleaning and operational cadence. The national park calendar creates predictable demand spikes: summer permit windows for popular trails like Camp Muir and the Wonderland Trail drive early bookings in late winter, giving operators clear visibility into summer occupancy as early as February. Properties that align minimum-stay requirements with park permit windows (typically 2 to 3 nights) can capture this planned-travel demand effectively.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals in Ashford are governed by Pierce County Code 18A.37.040, as Ashford is an unincorporated community with no city-level ordinance. STRs are clearly permitted. Before operating, owners must file a notarized Vacation Rental Affidavit with Pierce County Planning and Public Works. The affidavit must include the property address and parcel number, owner and property-manager contact information, the platforms where the unit is listed, confirmation that directly adjacent neighbors were notified, and acknowledgement that a Good Neighbor brochure will be provided to each guest.
The rental must be a legally established single-family dwelling or accessory dwelling unit. There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement and no cap on annual rental nights, which makes Ashford comparatively accessible for non-owner-occupied investment properties. Occupancy is limited to approximately two guests per bedroom plus two additional persons, with parking limited to roughly one vehicle per bedroom. A Washington State business license (Department of Revenue) is required. Tax obligations include Washington State and local sales tax plus a county lodging/transient tax of approximately 2% in unincorporated Pierce County, in addition to any Tourism Promotion Area charge; all must be collected from guests and remitted. Enforcement is moderate: complaint-driven and affidavit-backed, with cease-and-desist orders for noncompliance. Operators should confirm current rates and any updates to PCC 18A.37.040 with Pierce County Planning and Public Works, as a 2024 Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA 7) addressed STR policy and the regulatory landscape may evolve.
Market Comparison
Ashford’s April 2026 occupancy of 45.7% is below the U.S. STR median of approximately 55%, reflecting both the seasonal concentration of demand in summer months and measured in April, a shoulder period for this market. The $221 ADR is essentially at the national median of approximately $220, suggesting competitive pricing for a national park gateway market. RevPAR of $101 is moderate, and the total market score of 53.5 out of 100 is lower than the other areas analyzed in this batch, with revenue growth (48.6) and rental demand (68.2) as the drag factors versus a strong investability sub-score (76.6).
The professional management sector is anchored by national and regional operators. Vacasa leads with 300 listings and 12,673 reviews (4.50 average rating). Evolve holds second with 289 listings and 14,471 reviews (4.75 average), the highest review count of the top operators here. Suncadia Resort is third with 147 listings and 348 reviews (4.26 average), reflecting its resort-specific portfolio. Bloomer Estates Vacation Rentals holds fourth with 97 listings and 6,733 reviews (4.83 average). All Seasons Vacation Rentals rounds out the top five with 81 listings and 8,823 reviews (4.91 average), the highest average rating in the top five. The presence of both national firms and local specialists gives prospective investors multiple management options.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ashford, Washington
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