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STR Revenue Wrightsville Beach: What Owners Earn in 2026
STR revenue Wrightsville Beach, NC properties average $50,596 in annual revenue per listing, according to AirROI's 2026 market dataset, with a $563 average nightly rate and 35.2% occupancy across the market's 512 active listings. That headline number hides a wide spread: top-performing oceanfront houses clear well above that figure while older condos with restrictive HOA minimum-night rules land far below it. At 3 Putt Properties, LLC, we work with owners across the North Carolina coast, and the pattern we see most often in Wrightsville Beach is owners anchoring their pricing to the market average instead of their specific property type and location tier.
Key Takeaways
Wrightsville Beach STR properties average $50,596 in annual revenue with a $563 ADR and 35.2% occupancy, per AirROI's August 2025-July 2026 dataset.
Peak summer months (June through August) can produce monthly revenue up to $9,935, while the slowest winter month drops to roughly $2,697, a seasonal swing of more than 3.5x.
The market carries 512 active listings as of 2026, up 7.6% year over year, with entire homes and apartments making up 99.8% of inventory.
Guests book an average of 77 days in advance, which affects how far out owners should load pricing and minimum-stay rules.
Net income after a typical 20% full-service management fee on an average-revenue property runs close to $40,000 a year, before cleaning, insurance, and maintenance costs.
Property type matters more than market averages suggest: oceanfront houses and condos with HOA-mandated minimum stays perform very differently.
Wrightsville Beach sits in an unusual spot for North Carolina coastal short-term rental owners. It's a small, mostly built-out barrier island town just minutes from Wilmington, with a limited housing stock and strong HOA governance that shapes almost every rental decision an owner makes. Understanding STR revenue Wrightsville Beach data means separating the market-wide averages that get quoted everywhere from the property-specific numbers that determine your bottom line.
This guide breaks down what owners in this market currently earn, how that income compares across property types and seasons, and where the real gaps sit between gross revenue headlines and net income after expenses. We manage rental properties in Wilmington through our Wilmington-area management work, and the questions we hear most from Wrightsville Beach owners rarely match the surface-level statistics published in most market reports.
Are Airbnbs Still Profitable in 2026?
Airbnb and short-term rental properties in Wrightsville Beach remain profitable in 2026, though profitability now depends heavily on property type and how actively an owner manages pricing. AirROI's 2026 dataset shows average annual revenue of $50,596 across 512 active listings, with the market growing supply by 7.6% year over year. Profitability compresses as more listings enter the market, so a property earning average numbers in 2023 may now sit below the new median.
North Carolina's broader visitor economy supports this demand. Visit North Carolina reported $37.2 billion in statewide visitor spending in 2026, up 1.3% from the prior year, generating over $4.7 billion in combined federal, state, and local tax revenue. A Wilmington and Beaches visitor profile study found that 41.2% of surveyed visitors to the greater Wilmington area visited Wrightsville Beach specifically, and 18% of them stayed overnight there rather than just passing through for the day.
What separates a profitable Wrightsville Beach STR from a break-even one in 2026 is rarely the market itself. It's usually pricing strategy and occupancy management during shoulder months. A house that only chases peak-summer bookings and leaves winter dates empty is leaving predictable income on the table.
What Is the 80/20 Rule for Airbnb?
The 80/20 rule as applied to Airbnb revenue generally refers to the idea that a small share of nights, typically the peak-season dates, produce the majority of a property's annual income, while the remaining calendar contributes a much smaller portion. In Wrightsville Beach specifically, AirROI's seasonality data supports a version of this pattern: peak months (June, July, August) generate an average of $10,382 in monthly revenue at 55.8% occupancy, compared to $3,441 in monthly revenue at 27.4% occupancy across January, February, and December.
That means roughly three summer months can produce close to 40% of a Wrightsville Beach property's total annual revenue, based on the ratio between peak and low-season monthly figures in the AirROI dataset. Shoulder months average $5,983 in monthly revenue at 41.2% occupancy, sitting in between.
The practical takeaway for owners isn't to write off winter as a lost cause. It's to price accordingly. A property that holds summer rates into October or refuses to drop minimum-stay requirements in January is fighting the market's actual demand curve. We've found across our managed properties that shoulder-season pricing flexibility recovers more of that "lost" 20% than owners expect when they first hand over pricing control.
How Much Do Wrightsville Beach STR Owners Make Monthly?
Monthly STR revenue in Wrightsville Beach varies dramatically by season, ranging from an average of roughly $2,697 in the slowest month to as high as $9,935 during peak summer weeks, according to AirROI's 2026 dataset. Averaged across a full year, that works out to the reported $50,596 annual figure, or roughly $4,216 a month, which AirROI identifies as the highest average monthly revenue figure among the coastal markets it tracks in this region.
Airbtics offers a different lens on the same market, reporting a typical Wrightsville Beach short-term rental books 234 nights a year at a 64% median occupancy rate and a $292 average daily rate, translating to annual host income of $70,994 as of its 2023 observation period. The gap between AirROI's $50,596 average and Airbtics' $70,994 figure illustrates something important: different data providers use different sampling methods and time windows, so treat any single number as a directional benchmark rather than an exact prediction for your specific property.
Metric | AirROI 2026 Dataset | Airbtics (2023-2024 period) |
Average Annual Revenue | $50,596 | $70,994 |
Average Daily Rate | $563 | $292 |
Occupancy Rate | 35.2% | 64% (median) |
Active Listings | 512 | 417 (as of Nov 2026) |
Booking Lead Time | 77 days | Not reported |
Notice the ADR and occupancy figures move in opposite directions between the two sources, which likely reflects different sample sets: whole-home luxury listings versus a broader mix of listing types. This is exactly the kind of nuance a static market report misses, and exactly the kind of analysis 3 Putt Properties, LLC runs before setting a baseline rate for any managed property.
Why Is Wrightsville Beach So Expensive?
Wrightsville Beach commands premium rental rates because of its limited land supply and strict HOA and zoning controls. As a small barrier island with a largely built-out housing stock, new inventory cannot expand the way it can in less developed coastal markets. AirROI's 2026 data shows the market's $563 average nightly rate is among the highest of any North Carolina coastal STR market it tracks.
Zillow's April 2026 rental data reinforces this scarcity story on the long-term rental side too: average rent in Wrightsville Beach reached $3,800 a month, which Zillow calculated as 110% above its stated national average, with only 36 rental units available at the time of that snapshot. Realtor.com's February 2026 data for ZIP code 28480 showed just 32 active rentals, with inventory up 20% year over year but still a tight overall supply.
The Town of Wrightsville Beach's municipal cost structure adds to this picture, including a property tax rate reported by Port City Daily at 5.31 cents per $100 of value and parking revenue projected as the town's largest single income source. In practice, private HOA covenants often set minimum-night rules independent of town zoning, layering an additional restriction on top of municipal policy. That combination of scarcity and regulation is what keeps both rents and rates high.
How Does Property Type Change Wrightsville Beach STR Revenue?
Property type is one of the largest, and most underreported, variables in Wrightsville Beach STR performance. AirROI's dataset shows entire homes and apartments represent 99.8% of active rentals in the market, but within that category, houses make up 53.6% of listings, meaning a meaningful share of remaining inventory is condos and townhomes with fundamentally different revenue ceilings.
Oceanfront and second-row houses typically command the highest ADRs in the market, often well above the $563 average, because they offer direct beach access and larger group capacity. Condos, by contrast, frequently carry HOA-imposed minimum-stay requirements, a defining feature of this market that's separate from any town-level regulation. A condo with a seven-night minimum during peak season captures fewer total bookings than a nearby house with flexible three-night stays, even if its nightly rate is comparable.
A typical Wrightsville Beach condo earns close to $57,054 in annual revenue based on AirROI market averages, with a 20% full-service property management fee working out to roughly $11,411 a year. That fee-to-revenue ratio is a useful reference point for owners trying to model what a management partnership would actually cost against gross income, though the appropriate fee structure always depends on the scope of services included.
What This Means for Different Owner Types
If you own a smaller condo unit, expect lower ceiling revenue but potentially more predictable booking patterns due to HOA minimum-stay rules that filter out short, high-turnover stays. If you own a house, especially oceanfront or second-row, your revenue ceiling is considerably higher, but so is your exposure to seasonal swings and the operational demands of larger group turnovers.
What Do Regulations and Compliance Actually Require in Wrightsville Beach?
Wrightsville Beach STR regulation currently sits at what AirROI's 2026 report classifies as a "Low" regulation level relative to other coastal North Carolina markets, but that doesn't mean you can skip compliance homework. Local rules in this market layer on top of each other: town-level requirements from the Town of Wrightsville Beach, and separately, HOA covenants that function independently of town zoning to set minimum-night stays and other property-use restrictions.
Before listing a property, verify your specific HOA's rental covenants and confirm current town-level permitting or registration requirements directly with the town. Check whether your parcel falls under any additional overlay district. Wrightsville Beach's finances also depend meaningfully on tourism-related revenue streams, including room occupancy tax collections and parking fees, which Port City Daily reported the town projecting at $2.3 million and $7.2 million respectively in recent budget cycles, so enforcement of lodging tax compliance is an active area for the town.
If you're moving a long-term rental into the short-term market, or converting a family property for the first time, treat this compliance research as step one, not an afterthought after the listing goes live. Our guide on converting a long-term rental to short-term walks through this exact sequencing for owners making that transition.
How Do You Calculate Net Income After Expenses?
Net STR income is what remains after subtracting management fees, cleaning costs, insurance, maintenance, taxes, and vacancy periods from gross rental revenue, and it is the number that actually determines whether a Wrightsville Beach property is a good investment. Most market reports, including the AirROI and Airbtics figures referenced throughout this article, report gross revenue only, which overstates what an owner actually keeps.
Using the condo example above as a working model: a property earning roughly $57,054 in gross annual revenue, minus a 20% full-service management fee of about $11,411, leaves roughly $45,643 before cleaning fees, insurance, HOA dues, maintenance reserves, and lodging tax remittance. AirROI's data also notes that 94.7% of Wrightsville Beach listings charge cleaning fees averaging $419, a cost that's typically passed to guests but still requires operational coordination on every turnover.
Here's a simplified framework for estimating net income on a Wrightsville Beach STR:
Start with projected gross annual revenue based on comparable properties in your specific tier (condo, house, oceanfront, second-row).
Subtract management fees, typically ranging from co-hosting rates around 10-18% up to full-service rates around 20-30% of gross revenue, depending on scope.
Subtract fixed annual costs: property insurance, HOA dues, and any town or county lodging tax obligations.
Subtract variable costs: maintenance reserves, guest damage protection, and utilities not covered by guest fees.
Apply a vacancy buffer for slow months when occupancy naturally drops, based on the seasonal patterns discussed earlier.
Skipping any one of these steps is the most common mistake we see among owners evaluating whether their Wrightsville Beach property is cash-flow positive. Gross revenue headlines make for compelling market reports, but net income is what pays your mortgage.
How Do Dynamic Pricing and Booking Lead Time Affect Revenue?
Dynamic pricing is a revenue strategy that adjusts nightly rates in real time based on demand signals and booking lead time, rather than relying on a single static rate throughout the year. In Wrightsville Beach, where AirROI's 2026 data shows guests book an average of 77 days in advance, pricing strategy needs to account for that lead time by loading competitive rates early rather than waiting to react once dates are already close.
Broader industry research supports the revenue impact of this approach. A 2026 study covering 541 Airbnb listings across 34 countries, published through Your.Rentals and PriceLabs, found properties using dynamic pricing saw an average 36.3% increase in gross revenue per unit and a 37.3% increase in nights booked per unit, alongside a slight 0.7% decrease in average daily rate, meaning the gains came primarily from filling more nights rather than charging more per night. AvantStay's 2026 analysis similarly reports dynamic pricing boosting vacation rental revenue by 10% to 40% annually, with properties typically earning 10.7% more in RevPAR without any change to marketing or physical operations.
Against a market averaging 35.2% occupancy and a 77-day booking window, static pricing (setting one summer rate and one winter rate and leaving it alone) leaves the exact kind of gap that dynamic pricing research targets. At 3 Putt Properties, LLC, revenue management is not a set-it-and-forget-it formula. We monitor markets in real time, adjusting rates based on local demand signals and how far out a specific date sits from today, rather than applying one seasonal rate across three months.
Full-Service Management vs. Self-Managing vs. Co-Hosting: What's the Real Difference?
Full-service property management, co-hosting, and self-managing represent three distinct approaches to running a Wrightsville Beach STR, each with a different cost structure and time commitment. Full-service management typically costs 20-30% of gross booking revenue and covers pricing, guest communication, and operations in one package. Co-hosting arrangements, where the owner retains listing ownership, typically run 10-18% of gross revenue and cover day-to-day operations without full listing control. Self-managing costs nothing in fees but requires the owner's own time for every guest message, turnover, and pricing decision.
Approach | Typical Fee Range | Best For | Trade-off |
Self-managing | 0% (owner time only) | Local owners with flexible schedules | Highest time cost, inconsistent pricing without market monitoring |
Co-hosting | 10-18% of gross revenue | Owners who want to retain listing control | Owner still handles some decisions and platform relationships |
Full-service management | 20-30% of gross revenue | Out-of-state owners, multi-property investors | Higher fee, but full operational handoff |
National brands like Vacasa typically operate in the 25-35% fee range for full-service management, while platforms like RedAwning and Evolve position themselves closer to the 10-15% range as half-service models, meaning owners still handle more of the day-to-day than they would with a true full-service manager. The National Association of Residential Property Managers publishes broader benchmarks for the residential management industry that most STR-specific fee structures reference as a baseline.
Most out-of-state Wrightsville Beach owners we talk to underestimate how much co-hosting still requires from them. It removes cleaning coordination and guest messaging, but leaves platform strategy and pricing oversight in the owner's hands. That middle ground works well for owners who use the property personally a few weeks a year and want to stay involved, but it is rarely the right fit for someone managing a property from several states away.
Common Mistakes That Cost Wrightsville Beach Owners Revenue
The most frequent revenue mistakes we see across Wrightsville Beach properties follow a consistent pattern, regardless of property type or owner experience level.
Ignoring shoulder-season demand. Owners who apply peak pricing logic to April or October, or leave listings dormant, miss the $5,983 average monthly revenue shoulder months can produce.
Setting HOA minimum-stay rules without checking current market booking patterns. A seven-night minimum that made sense five years ago may now be filtering out the 77-day lead-time bookings that drive today's demand.
Confusing gross revenue with net income. Comparing your property to a $50,596 market average without subtracting your specific fee structure, insurance, and maintenance costs gives a false sense of profitability.
Underpricing during high-demand weekends. Static pricing tools like Airbnb's built-in Smart Pricing tend toward conservative rate suggestions that undervalue peak dates in tight-supply markets like Wrightsville Beach.
Overlooking cleaning fee benchmarks. With 94.7% of listings charging cleaning fees averaging $419, pricing significantly outside that range without justification can hurt conversion.
Each of these is fixable with a straightforward pricing and operations review, but they compound when left unaddressed for multiple seasons in a row.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average STR revenue in Wrightsville Beach, NC?
AirROI's 2026 dataset reports average annual STR revenue in Wrightsville Beach of $50,596, with a $563 average daily rate and 35.2% occupancy across 512 active listings. Airbtics reports a different figure of $70,994 in annual host income based on 2023 data, illustrating how different data providers and sampling periods produce varying benchmarks for the same market.
How much does STR management cost in Wrightsville Beach?
Full-service short-term rental management in coastal North Carolina markets typically costs 20-30% of gross booking revenue, while co-hosting arrangements that leave listing ownership with the property owner run closer to 10-18%. The right structure depends on how much operational control you want to retain versus hand off entirely.
What is the busiest season for Wrightsville Beach vacation rentals?
June, July, and August form the peak season for Wrightsville Beach short-term rentals, with AirROI reporting average monthly revenue of $10,382 and 55.8% occupancy during those months, compared to a low-season average of $3,441 in monthly revenue during January, February, and December.
Do condos or houses earn more revenue in Wrightsville Beach?
Houses, particularly oceanfront and second-row properties, generally command higher nightly rates and total revenue than condos in Wrightsville Beach. Condos often face HOA-imposed minimum-stay requirements that can limit total booking volume even when nightly rates are competitive.
How far in advance do guests book Wrightsville Beach rentals?
AirROI's 2026 data shows an average booking lead time of 77 days for Wrightsville Beach vacation rentals. This lead time matters for pricing strategy, since properties that wait too long to load competitive rates for popular dates risk losing bookings to comparable listings priced earlier.
Are there strict short-term rental regulations in Wrightsville Beach?
AirROI classifies Wrightsville Beach's STR regulation level as "Low" compared to other North Carolina coastal markets, but you still need to verify town-level requirements with the Town of Wrightsville Beach and confirm any HOA-specific rental covenants, which often set stricter rules than town zoning alone.
Is it still worth investing in a Wrightsville Beach short-term rental in 2026?
Wrightsville Beach remains a viable STR investment in 2026 given its limited housing supply and premium average daily rate of $563, backed by North Carolina's $37.2 billion in 2026 visitor spending. Profitability depends heavily on property type, financing terms, and whether ownership is paired with active pricing and revenue management.
The Bottom Line on Wrightsville Beach STR Revenue
Wrightsville Beach's $50,596 average annual revenue figure is a useful starting point, not a promise. The real number for your property depends on whether you own a condo or a house, how your HOA structures minimum stays, how aggressively you price the 77-day booking window, and how carefully you separate gross revenue from actual net income after fees, cleaning, and maintenance. Owners who treat the market average as gospel tend to underperform; owners who dig into property-type data and seasonal booking patterns tend to beat it.
As supply grows (up 7.6% year over year per AirROI) and guest expectations for professional-grade hospitality rise alongside it, the gap between well-managed and self-managed Wrightsville Beach properties in 2026 will only widen. Understanding your specific numbers now, before another peak season passes, puts you ahead of owners still pricing off last year's assumptions.
If you're weighing whether professional management would close the gap between your Wrightsville Beach property's current performance and what the data shows is possible, the team at 3 Putt Properties, LLC handles revenue analysis, dynamic pricing, and full-service operations for owners across the North Carolina coast and High Country. Reach out to 3 Putt Properties, LLC for a property-specific revenue review before your next pricing decision.
Written by Eric McCarty, Found, CEO at 3 Putt Properties, LLC
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