Operations
Don't sell out
Even the best leave a month empty.
Median 73% occupancy
Based on
83,647 US 2BR listings
Key finding: Across 83,647 active US 2-bedroom listings, median occupancy is 73%, which leaves about 99 nights empty every year.
The short version
A full calendar is not the goal, and almost nobody hits one. The typical 2BR sits at 73% occupancy, and even the very best rarely sell out. If you are chasing 100%, you are almost certainly leaving money on the table by pricing too low. The real target is the right rate on the nights you actually sell.
The data
Median occupancy across active 2BR listings is 73%. That leaves roughly 99 nights empty per year.
Even the top decile of listings averages 92.5% occupancy. That is still about 27 empty nights a year.
Almost no listing sells out, and that is a healthy sign, not a failure.
Why it works
Occupancy and rate pull against each other. To fill every night, you have to keep dropping price until someone books even your least desirable dates. A 100% calendar usually means the price was low enough that demand never ran out. The empty nights in a healthy calendar are the ones you correctly refused to sell too cheap. That is why the best operators still carry empty nights. They are protecting rate, not losing revenue.
What to actually do
Stop measuring success by occupancy alone. Track revenue per available night alongside it so you can see the tradeoff.
Treat a near-full calendar as a warning sign. If you are booking out weeks in advance at the same rate, test raising prices on your highest-demand dates.
Accept some empty nights on purpose. Hold your rate on weak dates instead of discounting into the floor to fill them.
The honest caveats
This is a descriptive snapshot, not a controlled experiment. It shows what occupancy looks like across a large set of listings, not that any single pricing move causes a specific revenue outcome. The 73% median describes US 2-bedroom listings and may not match your market, your season, or a different bedroom count. It tells you where the field sits, not what your particular listing should book.
Methodology
The finding draws on 83,647 active US 2-bedroom listings, measured by IntelliHost with Key Data in 2026. We looked at occupancy across those listings and reported the median and the top-decile average. Focusing on a single bedroom count keeps the comparison honest, since occupancy patterns shift with property size.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good occupancy rate for a 2-bedroom short-term rental?
The median across 83,647 US 2BR listings is 73%, so that is a fair middle-of-the-pack benchmark. The top decile averages 92.5%, but chasing that number can cost you more in rate than it earns in nights.
Should I aim for 100% occupancy?
No. Almost no listing sells out, and even the best average 92.5%. A 100% calendar usually means you priced too low, so the empty nights in a healthy calendar are often the right call.
How many nights a year does the average 2BR sit empty?
At the median 73% occupancy, about 99 nights a year are empty. Even top-decile listings at 92.5% still carry roughly 27 empty nights.