East Wenatchee, Washington Short-Term Rental Market
East Wenatchee STRs averaged $275/night at 40.9% occupancy in April 2026, with summer and holiday months producing over $6,000 in monthly revenue per listing.
Quick Answer: East Wenatchee, Washington is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 41%. average monthly revenue is $2,871. average daily rate is $275. the top operator is Vacasa with 177 listings. market score is 57/100 (grade C).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
East Wenatchee sits on the Douglas County side of the Columbia River, directly across from Wenatchee in North Central Washington’s Apple Capital region. The short-term rental market is almost entirely entire-place listings: 2,545 of the roughly 2,650 active units tracked (96%) are entire-place rentals, with 105 private-room listings and no shared-room inventory recorded.
In April 2026, the market posted an average daily rate of $275 and occupancy of 40.9%, producing a RevPAR of $113. Average monthly revenue per listing came in at $2,871. Year-over-year, ADR grew 7.1% but occupancy fell 3.7%, resulting in a net revenue decline of 4.1% versus April 2025. The ADR growth signals pricing power even as the market absorbs softer occupancy.
The bedroom mix is relatively balanced at the smaller end. One-bedroom properties lead at 767 listings, followed by two-bedroom (794) and three-bedroom (560) units. Four-bedroom and five-bedroom properties account for 350 and 176 listings respectively. Airbnb hosts 893 listings, VRBO 244, and 1,513 properties cross-list on both platforms.
The market’s overall score of 57 out of 100 is modest, with revenue growth (73) and investability (71) as the stronger dimensions. Rental demand scores 67 and regulation scores 72, reflecting the permissive local regulatory environment. The seasonality score of 51 is the lowest dimension, consistent with the notable summer and December demand concentration.
Annual averages for 2025 show occupancy of 50.2%, ADR of $340, and average monthly revenue of $4,843 per listing. Revenue has grown steadily from $3,130/month in 2017 and has remained above $4,400/month since 2021, recovering well after the 2022-2023 dip.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41% | $290 | $3,382 |
| Feb | 43% | $274 | $3,053 |
| Mar | 37% | $243 | $2,594 |
| Apr | 46% | $250 | $2,891 |
| May | 48% | $286 | $3,297 |
| Jun | 60% | $328 | $5,016 |
| Jul | 70% | $344 | $6,387 |
| Aug | 71% | $341 | $6,496 |
| Sep | 50% | $295 | $3,970 |
| Oct | 41% | $277 | $3,263 |
| Nov | 41% | $275 | $3,024 |
| Dec | 61% | $333 | $5,259 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in East Wenatchee
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 177 | 15,010 | ★ 4.40 |
| 2 | Chelan Lookout Rentals | 155 | 3,534 | ★ 4.79 |
| 3 | Love Leavenworth Vacation Rentals | 142 | 20,892 | ★ 4.81 |
| 4 | Windermere Vacation Rentals Lake Chelan | 139 | 4,271 | ★ 4.52 |
| 5 | NW Comfy Cabins | 62 | 7,466 | ★ 4.81 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in East Wenatchee?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 767 |
| 2 bed | 794 |
| 3 bed | 560 |
| 4 bed | 350 |
| 5 bed | 176 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $281 |
| Luxury | $450 |
| Professionally Managed | $314 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $1,937 |
| Entire Place | $2,911 |
| House | $3,305 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 33.7% |
| vrbo | 9.2% |
| both | 57.1% |
Investment Analysis
No housing price snapshot is available for East Wenatchee in the current dataset, so gross yield cannot be computed. Investors interested in this market should use local comparable sales data or Douglas County assessor records as the entry-cost basis.
What the STR data does show: entire-place listings in East Wenatchee averaged $2,911/month in April 2026, and house listings averaged $3,305/month. Apartment listings significantly trailed at $1,937/month. The 2025 full-year average monthly revenue of $4,843 per listing is more representative of the annual earnings potential than the April shoulder-month figure.
Rate tier differentiation is meaningful. The luxury tier ADR reached $450 in April 2026, compared to $275 for all listings and $314 for professionally managed properties. The professionally managed tier commands a $39/night premium over the market average, suggesting that active management or higher-quality inventory positions in the market deliver rate uplift.
Year-over-year ADR growth of 7.1% as of April 2026 is the strongest rate-side signal in this dataset, indicating the market is successfully pushing rates even as occupancy softens. The multi-year trend shows ADR growing from $275 in 2017 to $340 in 2025, a 24% gain over eight years. Revenue peaked at $4,930/month in 2021, retreated through 2023, and has since recovered to $4,843/month in 2025. The investability score of 71 and revenue growth score of 73 reflect this recovery trajectory.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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The average booking lead time in East Wenatchee is 43 days, meaning guests typically book about six weeks before arrival. This moderate lead window is consistent with a regional drive-market destination where travelers plan short to medium-term in advance.
Average length of stay is 3.0 nights, squarely in the weekend-trip range. At peak August occupancy of 70.6%, that translates to approximately 7 turnovers per month per listing. The December holiday period, with 61.4% occupancy, likely shifts the LOS upward as travelers combine holiday visits with longer stays, though the data does not break this out by month.
For operators, the 43-day lead time and 3-night average stay suggest holding rates firm in the 30-to-45-day pre-arrival window and using dynamic pricing tools to capture demand spikes in July, August, and December. Minimum-stay requirements of 3 to 4 nights during peak summer months can reduce turnover costs while maintaining occupancy given the available booking runway.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
East Wenatchee has one of the most permissive regulatory environments for short-term rentals among markets reviewed. No dedicated STR ordinance was found in the East Wenatchee Municipal Code (current through Ordinance 26-02, January 2026). Operators are treated as home-based businesses: the city requires an annual City of East Wenatchee business license endorsement on a Washington State business license, which costs approximately $70 per year for properties with zero to two employees.
There is no published cap on the number of STRs, no maximum-nights restriction, and no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement at the city level. No STR-specific zoning overlay was found; properties would need to comply with the city’s general zoning and home-occupation provisions under EWMC Chapter 17.66.
At the state level, Washington’s RCW 64.37 applies to all STRs: operators must register with the Department of Revenue, carry at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance (or rely on platform-provided equivalent coverage), provide 24/7 guest contact information, and meet consumer-safety requirements including carbon monoxide alarms.
The combined lodging tax rate is 6.0%. East Wenatchee and Wenatchee are grandfathered under RCW 67.28.181 with a special combined lodging tax that applies on top of the standard retail sales tax on lodging.
Note: East Wenatchee (Douglas County) is distinct from neighboring Chelan County, which enforces a strict STR permit program capping rentals at approximately 6% of housing stock. That cap does not apply within East Wenatchee city limits. Enforcement is rated minimal.
Market Comparison
East Wenatchee’s April 2026 occupancy of 40.9% is below the US STR median of approximately 55%, typical for a shoulder month in a seasonally concentrated Pacific Northwest market. The ADR of $275 is above the national median of approximately $220, reflecting the predominantly entire-place inventory in a regional recreation destination.
The 2025 annual average ADR of $340 has grown from $275 in 2017, and revenue per listing at $4,843/month (2025 average) compares favorably to similarly sized interior Washington markets. No housing price data is available for direct yield comparison in this dataset.
The operator landscape includes both national and highly specialized regional firms. Vacasa leads with 177 listings and a 4.40 average rating across 15,010 reviews. Chelan Lookout Rentals, a regional specialist, ranks second with 155 listings and a 4.79 rating. Love Leavenworth Vacation Rentals manages 142 listings and carries the second-highest rating at 4.81 across 20,892 reviews, reflecting deep regional review history. Windermere Vacation Rentals Lake Chelan holds 139 listings with a 4.52 rating. Together the top four operators account for 613 listings, roughly 23% of total market inventory, indicating a higher concentration of professional management than most markets in this batch.
The market’s total score of 57 is moderate. The strongest dimension is revenue growth (73), supporting a case for continued ADR appreciation even as occupancy stabilizes.
Frequently Asked Questions About East Wenatchee, Washington
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