Despite the fact that Airbnb has only recently gotten out of the startup category, this online lodging platform has become an emblem for the global sharing economy, and Airbnb statistics are confirming its enormous success. A win-win deal for both hosts and travelers, the unique Airbnb business model (peer-to-peer) has enabled affordable stays for more than 750 million travelers across the world and profits for around 2.9 million hosts.
Considering all that, many are wondering how much they would make if they joined the Airbnb community as hosts and whether they could supplement these earnings with the new, activity-based gigs called Airbnb Experiences.
If financial profits and fun are what you’re after, you might get a better idea of how to achieve this after reading these stats.
10 Key Points of the Latest Airbnb statistics for 2021
- Airbnb was valued at $18 billion in 2020. $20 billion less than in 2019.
- Hosts earn approximately $924 per month.
- The average Airbnb stay duration in 2020 in the US grew by 74%.
- New hosts that joined the platform after the pandemic outburst earned $1 billion.
- The average Airbnb occupancy rate is estimated to be 45.5% in April 2021.
- Airbnb’s 2019 revenue hit a record $4.7 billion.
- Honolulu, Hawaii, has the highest occupancy rate in the US — 68%.
- Airbnb has 2.9 million hosts from all parts of the world.
- Airbnb laid off 25% of its employees due to the coronavirus crisis.
- The USA has the highest average Airbnb host earnings in the world — $18,285.
Airbnb Growth Statistics
How did Airbnb become so popular?
1. Airbnb accounted for 19% of the US lodging market in 2018.
(Statista) (Second Measure)
Airbnb is one of the leaders in the US lodging market. Moreover, it was one of the highest-valued startups in the world, startup statistics reveal.
In the last several years, the biggest Airbnb competitors, such as HomeAway (11% share of the lodging market), lost to this company by a lot. Back in 2018, Airbnb’s revenue surpassed that of Hilton and its subsidiaries.
Marriott International Inc., one of the biggest Airbnb competitors, launched a site for home-rentals similar to Airbnb.
2. Airbnb demographics stats project 45.6 million Airbnb users by 2022.
(Statista) (Tech Crunch)
In 2019 an estimated 41.1 million Americans were using the Airbnb services, a 2.7 million increase since 2018 (38.4 million).
However, the biggest jump in popularity of this online marketplace was noted in 2012, when Airbnb increased the number of users fourfold and doubled the number of listings.
3. There are over 4 million Airbnb accommodation listings around the globe, Airbnb data reveals.
(Airbnb)
As of 2020, Airbnb could accommodate travelers from around the globe in more than 4 million active Airbnb listings. More than 100,000 cities worldwide situated in over 220 different countries and regions offer Airbnb rentals, as the official Airbnb figures show.
4. As of September 2020, you have 90,000 cabins, 40,000 farms, and 3,500 castles at your disposal via Airbnb.
(Airbnb)
In addition to that, Airbnb user statistics show people can also rent 5,600 boats, 24,000 tiny homes, 2,800 yurts, and 2,600 treehouses. Those with deeper pockets and credit cards with no limits can rent 1,600 private islands, 300 lighthouses, or 140 igloos.
5. There were around 1.1 million US properties available for Airbnb renting by the end of 2019.
(Airbnb)
The US is the world leader in the number of Airbnb offers — a fact that comes as no surprise since America is the birthplace of Airbnb.
Facts about Airbnb show 49% of the American Airbnb hosts claimed that their monthly Airbnb income helps them make ends meet. For 18% of them, as shown in the mortgage statistics, it was a means to avoid eviction.
On the other hand, 56% of American Airbnb tourists said they economized their stay by renting through Airbnb.
6. The Airbnb Experiences statistics showed a 7-fold increase in bookings during 2018.
(Airbnb)
Airbnb’s business model, beginning with 2016, offers another economic opportunity called Airbnb Experience. From 500 registered Experiences in 2016, over 30,000 are available around the globe today. What’s more, more than 90% of them have 5-star user ratings.
In 2018, the average host made $2,500 per Experience, but the top-earners counted more than $300,000 a year from Airbnb Experiences.
7. Airbnb revenue for 2019 hit a record $4.7 billion.
(Business of Apps)
On a negative note, the company’s revenue in 2020 was 1.3 billion less, i.e., $3.4 billion due to “the new normal”. Likewise, Airbnb witnessed a drop in the number of bookings, from 272 million in 2019 to 193 million in 2020.
Basically, Airbnb lost 30% of the revenue in 2020.
8. The market value of the company reached $35 billion in 2019, Airbnb growth rate stats show.
(Statista) (Financial Times) (Business Insider)
Despite nearing the renting market’s saturation and the pressure from the competitors, the market value of Airbnb in 2019 reached $35 billion, stock market statistics confirm. This represents a $5 billion decrease in value from 2018 when Airbnb was worth 38 billion.
What’s more, amid the coronavirus outbreak, the internal valuation dropped to $26 billion at the end of March 2020.
9. The Airbnb market share makes 20% of the total US vacation rental industry.
(Grand View Research) (Smartbnb)
The vacation rental market was worth $87.09 billion in 2019. Based on the predictions, it should reach a CAGR growth of 3.4% between 2020 and 2027.
That said, millennials will be the main players in boosting the predicted growth. By 2025, they will make 75% of all consumers and travelers.
How Much Money Does Airbnb Make?
What is the company’s value, and how much do hosts earn?
10. Airbnb was valued at $18 billion in 2020, which is $20 billion less than in 2019.
(Business of Apps)
Due to the pandemic, Airbnb, as well as other businesses, lost substantial amounts of money. While the company was valued at $38 billion in 2019, in 2020, its total value was estimated at only $18 billion.
11. Hosts earn approximately $924 per month.
(CNBC)
This is the rough estimation based on the Airbnb statistics for hosts. The number will be different for each host, and it will depend on many factors. For example, how much money they charge, the location, how many guests are allowed, etc.
12. Compared to 2019, the average Airbnb stay duration in 2020 in the US grew by 74%.
(Phocus Wire)
The same thing happened in Europe in the exact same period, from January to May. The average duration in the UK grew by 154%, in Italy by 51%, in Spain by 38%, in and in France by 49%.
13. Airbnb facts show the company charges a host service fee of 3%.
(Airbnb)
With that in mind, some hosts will pay even more. For example, hosts with locations in Italy, Airbnb Plus hosts, and hosts who use cancellation.
On the other hand, guests need to pay a service fee under 14.2% for the booking subtotal.
14. Global Airbnb statistics show that new hosts that joined the platform after the pandemic outburst have earned over $1 billion.
(News.Airbnb)
With only one listing, new hosts from the US earned $3,900. In other words, new hosts from California chased in a total of $67 million. In comparison, Florida’s hosts brought $42 million. New York State adds $36 million to the equation.
The City of Angels alone contributed $10 million.
Likewise, new hosts from the other parts of the world also managed to earn significant money. Based on the Airbnb host analytics, typical hosts from Australia earned $3,400, followed by hosts from Canada ($2,400), UK ($2,300), and France ($1,700).
15. The USA has the highest average Airbnb host earnings in the world — $18,285.
(All The Rooms)
When it comes to the states, Californian hosts have the largest annual earnings — $32,876. Colorado is a popular destination too, as the hosts earned $32,441 in 2020. Interestingly, most of the top ten states had higher revenues than in 2019.
16. Airbnb statistics put Australia in second place, with average annual host earnings of $16,148.
(All The Rooms) (News.com) (News.com)
Australian Airbnb hosts can take care of their personal savings thanks to Airbnb because they earn approximately $3,000 per month.
The cities with the highest earnings are Sydney ($3,041 per month), Adelaide ($2,430), Melbourne ($2,178), and Brisbane ($2,173).
At the same time, the surveys reveal that Australian women are dominating the Airbnb hosting scene. Almost 65% of Australian hosts are women.
Airbnb Occupancy Rate
What is the average occupancy rate, and how did it change due to the pandemic?
17. The average Airbnb occupancy rate is estimated to be 45.5% in April 2021.
(Phocus Wire)
Based on the predictions, the company’s occupancy rate in the US will witness a slight increase. Still, it’s not expected to fully recover until September 2021.
According to the forecast and Airbnb occupancy rate data, by May, the average occupancy rate will be 52.9%. In contrast, by September, it should reach 61.1%. The exact same rate it had in 2020.
18. Honolulu, Hawaii, has the highest occupancy rate for US Airbnb — 68%.
(Mashvisor)
Airbnb’s average daily rate in Honolulu amounts to $248. Furthermore, the monthly Airbnb rental income is $4,106, the median property price is $890,241, while the price per square foot amounts to $768.
Other US cities with high occupancy rates are San Rafael, CA, Napa, CA, Cambridge, MA, and Mountain View, CA.
19. Airbnb statistics for Canada show the average occupancy rate is 19.2%.
(All The Rooms)
Calgary has the highest average Airbnb rate of 23.0%, followed by Vancouver and Ottawa with 22.3% each,.
20. Bristol has the highest occupancy Airbnb rates in the UK.
(All The Rooms)
The average occupancy rates in the UK amount to 23.7%.
Based on the data, Bristol, England, has the highest rate in the UK — 32.6%. Scotland’s Glasgow takes second place with an average occupancy rate of 31.6%. Manchester (30.0%), Edinburgh (29.4%), and London (24.7%) are close behind.
Airbnb Fun Facts
What is the most expensive Airbnb city? Where can you find the most listings?
21. Airbnb has 2.9 million hosts from all parts of the world.
(Stratos Jet, Inc.)
There are more than 7 million active Airbnb listings throughout 200 different countries and 100,000 cities. At the same time, each month, 14,000 new hosts are added to Airbnb.
22. The best cities for Airbnb renting per occupancy rates are located in New York, Florida, and California.
(All The Rooms)
The top 5 US cities with the most active Airbnb listings in 2020 were New York City (NY), Kissimmee (FL), Los Angeles (CA0, San Diego (CA), and Las Vegas (NV).
Other most visited US cities include: Atlanta, with 20.2% of average occupancy rate, Miami (22.3%), Austin (21.6%), and Houston (17.9%)
23. According to Airbnb annual report from 2019, Kissimmee in Florida offers the largest number of property listings in the US.
(Statista)
There were 47,875 offered properties for renting through Airbnb and HomeAway in Kissimmee city in 2019, making it officially the most welcoming place for tourists in the US.
New York City was second with 37,979 property listings. Davenport and Los Angeles offered 21,406, and 20,916 (Airbnb and HomeAway) listings respectively, according to Airbnb statistics by city.
24. Airbnb hosts get a liability insurance policy worth $1 million.
(Airbnb)
Simply put, Airbnb’s Host Guarantee protects the host against damages caused by guests, for both the place and the belongings. On the other hand, the company’s insurance doesn’t cover theft (savings bonds, stock certificates), guest injuries, or property damage from malfunctioning pipes or the like.
25. Seniors are the fastest-growing group of Airbnb hosts.
(I Property Management)
Airbnb host demographics data reports there are over 400,000 senior hosts. What’s more, the highest-rated hosts are senior women. In fact, 55% of Airbnb hosts around the world are female.
Airbnb Statistics and Covid-19 Crisis
How did the pandemic affect Airbnb’s rentals?
26. Airbnb laid off 25% of its employees due to the coronavirus crisis.
(Observer)
In May 2020, in an attempt to diminish the losses that the company had suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak. Airbnb has laid off almost 1,900 of its employees, approximately one-quarter of its workforce.
27. Airbnb statistics report the company’s gross booking value went down by 127% in March 2020.
(Statista)
Due to the lockdown, hosts were forced to cancel all the reservations. The trend continued during the following months. In April, the gross booking value was down by 119%. On a positive note, the situation became better in September, when the gross booking value was down by only 17%.
Finally, the company’s business moves paid off so Airbnb stats show that CEO Brian Chesky was worth $11bn in December 2020.
28. At the beginning of the pandemic, 70% of guests were afraid to stay at an Airbnb whereas 47% of hosts were scared of renting their place to guests.
(Forbes)
Coronavirus has left a significant impact on the real estate and rental business. 64% of guests were thinking of canceling their Airbnb bookings. On the other hand, American hosts lost about $4,036 from the beginning of the pandemic till June 2020.
FAQs
What year was Airbnb founded?
In March 2008, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nate Blecharczyk officially launched the company under the name Airbed & Breakfast. What once started with only two hosts became one of the most popular renting companies.
The first guests through the already active Airbedandbreakfast.com website were received in the fall of 2007.
That said, Airbnb got its official name in March 2009 when the rental service expanded to houses and vacation rentals.
How many people use Airbnb yearly?
In 2020 there were 193 million Airbnb bookings. The number would have been higher if there hadn’t been traveling restrictions due to coronavirus.
For example, in 2019, 272 million people were staying in accommodation rented through Airbnb. In 2018, there were 140 million bookings.
The lowest number of bookings was noted in 2016 when only 52 million people used Airbnb’s services.
How many Airbnb hosts are there?
The tempting Airbnb business model attracted over 4 million hosts to the Airbnb network. They rent various listings, from 90,000 cabins and 40,000 farms to 24,000 tiny homes and 5,600 boats.
People can also pick to sleep in one of the 3,500 listed castles, 2,800 yurts, 2,600 treehouses, and 1,600 private islands. On top of that, Airbnb lists 300 lighthouses and 140 igloos.
What is the average occupancy rate for Airbnb?
The current stats show us that Airbnb’s average occupancy rate is 45.5%. If we compare the 2020 data, there is a 3.6% drop in the overall percentage. Based on the 2021 forecast, the numbers should go up in the next few months.
What’s more, by September 2021, the average occupancy rate should reach 61.1%, as indicated by Airbnb statistics.
Airbnb’s occupancy rate fluctuates depending on their location, the season, and available listings.
Is Airbnb profitable in 2020?
No, Airbnb was not profitable in 2020. Based on their initial reports, Airbnb had a $4.6 billion net loss in 2020 as a consequence of the pandemic. For instance, by Q4, the company witnessed a net loss of $3.9 billion.
Overall, Airbnb earned $3.4bn in 2020, which means the company had a 22% year-over-year decrease compared to the revenue from 2019.
The pandemic was also responsible for the loss of $1 billion in bookings. On that note, the company had to fire 25% of its employees.
What is a good occupancy rate for Airbnb?
The good occupancy rate for Airbnb is over 65%. Anything lower than 50% is considered to be low for full-time facilities. The highest occupancy rate can reach 75%, but it happens rarely. When it comes to the US, the average occupancy rate is 48%.
At the same time, some cities have extremely low occupancy rates — only 10%.
Has anyone been murdered in an Airbnb?
Yes, there have been some murders in Airbnb properties. For example, in January 2021, there was a double homicide in one Airbnb rental property. Some Airbnb guests even reported finding secret doors. Therefore, it’s absolutely vital to check on the tenants before renting.
On that note, brave travelers can rent “haunted“ places throughout the US. Some of the most famous haunted locations are the lumber baron’s mansion in Denver, the Civil War field hospital in Gettysburg, and the ghost town hotel in Cuchillo.
Who uses Airbnb the most?
Based on Airbnb pre-covid data, millennials made 58% of hosts and guests in 2018. It’s estimated that by 2022, Millennials and Generation Z will represent more than 75% of consumer demographics that will mold the tourism and travel sector.
How much money do Airbnb hosts make?
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Airbnb hosts were earning about $924 every month. Some hosts were even able to earn over $10,000 per month, while others were left with less than $200 income.
Bottom Line
Granted, with COVID-19 still ravaging the globe, it won’t be easy for Airbnb hosts and staff to make a profit as they used to.
However, the chances are that after months in lockdown, travelers across the globe will jump to the first opportunity to quench their wanderlust, and book the cleanest and most isolated rentals.
Meanwhile, Airbnb statistics remain strong and ready for another power ride through the earning charts, and you will probably get a “piece of the pie” too if you join the ride.
Sources:
- Airbnb
- Airbnb
- Airbnb
- Airbnb
- Airbnb
- Airbnb
- Airbnb
- All The Rooms
- All The Rooms
- Business Insider
- Business of Apps
- CNBC
- Earnest
- Financial Times
- Forbes
- Grand View Research
- I Property Management
- Lonely Planet
- Mashvisor
- News.com
- News.com
- Observer
- Phocus Wire
- Phocus Wire
- Second Measure
- Smartbnb
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Stratos Jet, Inc.
- Tech Crunch
- The Real Dea
- Timeout
- Toronto
