Island County, WA short-term rental market report (2026)
Island County, Washington. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesLight-touch (2/5)
- Average revenue$49K a year
- 4-BR typical value$725K
- Gross yield6.8%
- FEMA riskRelatively Low
- Demand drivers within 50 mi4
Everything STR HUB holds on Island County, WA in one place, in the order an investor needs it: whether you can operate, what the numbers are, why and when people come, who can reach it, and what could go wrong.
Every figure comes from a named dataset listed under Sources and method, dated September 21, 2026. Where we do not hold a figure, that part of the report is left out rather than estimated.
Can you operate in Island County?
What the rating rests on: No STR ordinance yet — permit programme in development.
| Rule | What we hold on file |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Island County |
| Permit or licence | No STR ordinance yet - zoning + land use permits; county programme in development |
| Occupancy limit | Draft rules tie guest limits to septic capacity |
| Lodging and sales taxes | State + local sales and lodging taxes; $1M liability insurance required (RCW 64.37) |
- Full Island County regulation guide →
- Official source: islandcountywa.gov
- Washington statewide STR guide
Rules for Island County last verified September 20, 2026. Rules change, and a city rating does not cover HOA or deed restrictions. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before you buy or list.
The numbers
Revenue
Gross market averages from STR HUB market analytics, the same figures shown on the market page. They are before cleaning, management, utilities, taxes and financing, and an individual property can earn more or less.
Home values in Island County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Island County, not list prices. A specific property can sit well above or below them.
Gross yield
Gross yield is before every operating cost and before financing. It is a screening ratio, not a cash-on-cash return.
What it costs to own
Screening figures, not a bill or a quote. The tax rate is a county-wide median for owner-occupied homes (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022); second homes and rentals are often taxed more heavily, and a purchase usually resets the assessed value. Expected annual loss is from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Housing market momentum
County-level, for-sale housing market: it says nothing directly about STR bookings. A relative ranking among tracked markets, not a forecast. Sources: Realtor.com Economic Research, U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow Home Value Index.
Why people come
4 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Island County. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Events
- Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
- When
- All of April (bloom-dependent)
- Attendance
- 450,000 (Estimated 400,000-500,000 visitors (2023, per KING 5 News via Wikipedia).)
- STR angle
- A month-long, bloom-dependent event that lifts lodging demand across Skagit County (Mount Vernon, La Conner, Anacortes) through all of April.
Attractions
- Pike Place Market
- When
- Year-round; summer cruise season is the peak.
- Attendance
- 20,000,000 (Wikipedia (Pike Place Market): "more than 20 million annual visitors" — stated in the lead without a year.)
- STR angle
- Seattle's most-visited attraction, next to the rebuilt waterfront and the Alaska cruise terminals, so pre- and post-cruise nights are a real segment. Seattle limits operators to a small number of units, which favours individual condo owners in Belltown and downtown.
Parks and public lands
- Olympic National Park
- When
- Year-round; peaks July, August, September (by recreation-visit volume, 2025).
- Attendance
- 3,584,187 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025)
- STR angle
- Drives a large, geographically spread cabin/lodge market across the Olympic Peninsula from Port Angeles to the rainforest and coast.
Outdoor activities
- Bellingham (Galbraith Mountain)
- When
- Rideable most of the year; driest and busiest in summer.
- STR angle
- Trail access from the edge of a college city draws riders from Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. Homes near the Galbraith trailheads or Lake Whatcom with bike storage serve riders, with Mt. Baker skiers in winter.
When they come
Four-season climate: comfortable months are spread across the year without one dominant season. 4 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F. Warmest month: August (average high 69°F). Coldest: February (average low 37°F).
- Jan46°40°Cool
- Feb44°37°Cold
- Mar49°40°Cool
- Apr53°44°CoolEvent
- May60°49°Cool
- Jun64°52°Comfortable
- Jul68°55°Comfortable
- Aug69°57°Comfortable
- Sep65°54°Comfortable
- Oct56°48°Cool
- Nov49°42°Cool
- Dec45°39°Cool
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 46 | 44 | 49 | 53 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 69 | 65 | 56 | 49 | 45 |
| Average low (°F) | 40 | 37 | 40 | 44 | 49 | 52 | 55 | 57 | 54 | 48 | 42 | 39 |
| Precipitation (in) | 4.9 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 5.3 |
| Snowfall (in) | 2.2 | 4.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 2.5 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 4.3 | 5.2 | 7.7 | 8.9 | 10.4 | 12.1 | 12.8 | 11.7 | 9.2 | 6.5 | 4.9 | 3.2 |
| Event month | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Event months within 50 miles
- April: Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
This is climate and events, not booking data. Monthly normals are 2019-2023 averages from the Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5 reanalysis) at the market pin. Event months come from the demand drivers listed above. We do not hold monthly occupancy or rate data for this market.
Who can reach it
Largest counties within 150 miles
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| King County, WA | 2,254,371 |
| Pierce County, WA | 918,993 |
| Snohomish County, WA | 828,337 |
County populations (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022) summed for every county whose centre lies within each straight-line radius. Straight lines are shorter than roads, so read these as generous upper bounds, not drive-time counts.
What could go wrong
| Hazard | FEMA rating | Score (0-100) |
|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 96.3 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively Moderate | 73.4 |
| River flooding | Relatively Low | 54.9 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 45.3 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 35.4 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 11.3 |
| Hail | Very Low | 2.4 |
This is a county-level index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination. A coastal or wildfire-fringe rental can carry far more exposure than its county average suggests. FEMA does not model hurricane for this county, which is not the same as zero risk. Get property-level flood, wind and wildfire quotes before you buy.
Market context
Housing and jobs in Island County
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018-2022. Vacation-home share is housing units held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. All three describe the whole county, not one town or neighbourhood.
What is within 15 km of the Island County pin
Counts of features mapped in OpenStreetMap within 15 km of the market pin. A fixed radius favours dense metros, and map coverage varies by area.
Similar markets
The 4 tracked markets whose numbers sit closest to Island County's. Each links to its own report.
Closest by normalised distance across the figures both markets hold (typical 4BR value, revenue, occupancy, regulation rating, vacation-home share, tourism job share, 4+ bedroom share, amenity score, population within 300 miles, comfortable months and FEMA risk score). At most 2 of the 4 come from Washington, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Island County on the map
Open Island County on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Island County STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Island County?
STR HUB rates Island County's short-term rental rules 2/5 (Light-touch) on a scale from 1 (relaxed) to 5 (very strict). Permit rule on file: No STR ordinance yet - zoning + land use permits; county programme in development. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the local jurisdiction before you buy or list.
How much does an Airbnb make in Island County?
The average short-term rental in Island County, WA grosses $49,000 a year, on a $215 average nightly rate and 62% occupancy. That ranks #66 of the 88 tracked markets with revenue data. It is a gross market average before cleaning, management, taxes and financing, and an individual property can earn more or less.
How much does a 4-bedroom home cost in Island County?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Island County is valued at $725,034 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $638,463, with all-home values up 0.5% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What is the gross rental yield in Island County?
6.8%: average annual short-term rental revenue of $49,000 divided by the county's typical 4-bedroom home value of $725,034. It is before every operating cost and before financing, so treat it as a screening ratio, not a cash-on-cash return.
What brings visitors to Island County?
4 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Island County, including Pike Place Market (20,000,000 published attendance), Olympic National Park (3,584,187 published attendance) and Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (450,000 published attendance). Attendance is shown only where a source publishes it, and each driver's source is linked in the report.
Sources and method
- Regulation summary and strictness rating: STR Agent HUB regulation research (official source: islandcountywa.gov).
- Revenue, nightly rate and occupancy: STR Agent HUB market analytics.
- Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), county level. Data provided by Zillow Group.
- Housing, employment and population figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2018-2022.
- Natural hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, county level.
- Amenity counts: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Climate normals: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (CC BY 4.0), 2019-2023 averages.
- Park visitation: National Park Service, NPS Visitor Use Statistics.
- Demand drivers: each entry links its own published source in the list above.
Figures come from the STR HUB national dataset dated September 21, 2026 and this page is regenerated whenever that dataset is rebuilt. County-level figures describe Island County as a whole, not one street or neighbourhood. The Opportunity Score (0-100) is a screening heuristic that weighs revenue (35%), regulatory climate (25%), tourism employment (15%), nearby amenities (15%) and large-home supply (10%) relative to the other tracked markets.
Confirm before you act. Short-term rental rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction, and work with a licensed local agent who knows which properties can legally operate. This report is screening data, not investment, legal or tax advice.
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