The national STR briefing · 2026-09
September improved. Context matters.
September brought higher occupancy and nightly rates across the U.S. short-term rental market. AirDNA’s latest review also shows why the timing of Labor Day matters when interpreting the gains.
Occupancy
United States · September 2026
Up 3.7 percentage points year over year
Average daily rate
United States · September 2026
Up 7.2% year over year
Available listings
United States · September 2026
Up 1.6% year over year
Read past the calendar
AirDNA reports an 8.1% year-over-year increase in September demand nights. Combining August and September reduces the Labor Day timing distortion: demand increased 2.1% across the two months. That is a more measured picture than September alone suggests.
Supply is growing slowly
Available listings increased 1.6% year over year in both August and September. AirDNA links the slower expansion to financing conditions, while noting that performance varies across market types.
Keep the local lens
Our takeaway: use this national snapshot as context for a Nashville search, then assess the property’s own operating records, expenses and permitted use. These national averages are not Nashville benchmarks or a forecast of an individual investment’s results.
About this briefing
Compiled from the published sources linked above. Each figure identifies its market and reporting period. National trends provide context; they do not establish a particular property’s performance or STR eligibility.