Vashon, Washington Short-Term Rental Market
Vashon Island, WA is reachable only by ferry; STRs need a King County license. June 2026 ADR was $268.
Quick Answer: Vashon, Washington is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Seattle market area is 72%. average monthly revenue in the Seattle market area is $4,921. average daily rate in the Seattle market area is $268. the top operator in the Seattle market area is Blueground with 506 listings. market score is 50/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Seattle regional market, which includes Vashon. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Vashon.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Vashon Island is a rural, arts-oriented island in Puget Sound reached only by ferry, a roughly 20-minute crossing from Fauntleroy in West Seattle, a genuine access constraint that shapes the whole market: every guest and every host trip involves a ferry schedule, not a highway drive. It’s a popular day-trip and weekend getaway from the greater Seattle metro, with visitors drawn to outdoor recreation (beaches, hiking, biking, birding), agritourism (farmers market, U-pick farms, wineries), and arts and culture (studio tours, Vashon Center for the Arts).
Vashon is unincorporated King County, population 11,055, so short-term rentals are governed by King County rather than a city code (unlike Seattle, no owner-occupancy or primary-residence mandate applies here).
StaySTRA tracks Vashon’s ADR, occupancy, and revenue at a shared regional level with Bothell and Kirkland, both King County cities on the mainland Eastside, so the figures below describe the King County area STR market. It’s worth being direct about the mismatch: Bothell and Kirkland are dense Seattle-Eastside suburbs reachable by road, very different in character from ferry-only Vashon, so these numbers should be read as a King County-wide reference point rather than a precise read on Vashon’s own market. In June 2026, the King County area STR market posted a blended ADR of $267.65 and 72.0% occupancy, with average monthly revenue of $4,921/listing. Occupancy is down 11.56 percentage points year over year, while ADR is down 1.68% and revenue is up 5.40% year over year.
Bedroom mix, listing-type breakdown, and the top-property-manager list are tracked at the same shared regional level rather than uniquely for Vashon, so this profile omits those breakdowns.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 55% |
| Feb | 62% |
| Mar | 68% |
| Apr | 65% |
| May | 71% |
| Jun | 79% |
| Jul | 80% |
| Aug | 77% |
| Sep | 71% |
| Oct | 64% |
| Nov | 60% |
| Dec | 59% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Vashon are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Seattle market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Seattle market as a whole, which includes Vashon, so these counts are not Vashon-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blueground | 506 | 271 | ★ 4.35 |
| 2 | Evolve | 179 | 4,907 | ★ 4.54 |
| 3 | Vacasa | 150 | 8,153 | ★ 4.47 |
| 4 | Snowball Rentals | 135 | 5,336 | ★ 4.78 |
| 5 | Vince | 132 | 12,206 | ★ 4.58 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Vashon?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Vashon 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 | 60.7% |
| vrbo | 3.9% |
| both | 35.4% |
Home Value Trends (Vashon)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Vashon 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 Vashon — 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
Vashon Island is unincorporated King County, so short-term rentals are governed by King County (via the Department of Local Services Permitting Division) and Washington state law (RCW 64.37), not a city code. STRs are allowed. Operators generally must obtain a Washington state business license from the Department of Revenue, register for a King County short-term rental operating license and confirm the use is allowed under the property’s zoning, carry at least $1 million in primary liability insurance, provide 24/7 local contact information, and post safety and carbon-monoxide information.
Unlike Seattle, no primary-residence or owner-occupancy requirement and no annual night cap were identified for unincorporated King County. On taxes, STR stays under 30 nights owe Washington retail sales tax (roughly 8.9% in the Vashon/98070 area) plus the King County Convention and Trade Center lodging tax of 2.8% (applied to all lodging regardless of size since January 1, 2019), for a combined transient-lodging tax on the order of about 11.7%.
Under RCW 64.37, a first violation typically draws a warning letter, with subsequent violations treated as a class 2 civil infraction; enforcement is rated moderate. Investors should contact King County Permitting (206-296-6600) to confirm current fees and any zoning-specific limits, particularly given Vashon’s rural land-use context, before operating.
Market Comparison
The King County area STR market’s June 2026 occupancy of 72.0% runs well above the commonly cited US STR median of roughly 55%, while its $267.65 blended ADR is well above the roughly $220 US median; its luxury tier ($465.95) is more than double the national ADR benchmark. Vashon’s own $908,246 typical home value, the highest in this batch, is worth noting separately from these regional performance figures.
Top-property-manager data is not currently published uniquely for Vashon in this snapshot (tracked at a shared regional level with Bothell and Kirkland instead), so this profile omits a named-operator comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vashon, Washington
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What is the average daily rate for short-term rentals near Vashon Island?
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What is the gross yield on a Vashon-area short-term rental?
Does Vashon require owner-occupancy for short-term rentals?
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