Kent, CT short-term rental market report (2026)
Litchfield County, Connecticut. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- 4-BR typical value$591K
- FEMA riskRelatively Low
- Demand drivers within 50 mi6
- People within 300 mi64.1 million
- ClimateSki-plus-summer
Everything STR HUB holds on Kent, CT 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 Kent?
We have not rated Kent's short-term rental rules. What we hold on file is below.
| Rule | What we hold on file |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Town of Kent, CT — Planning & Zoning Commission |
| Permit or licence | Local STR rules unconfirmed — sources conflict |
| Lodging and sales taxes | Connecticut State Room Occupancy Tax of 15% applies to rentals of 30 consecutive days or less, same as statewide. |
Rules for Kent 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
We have not verified revenue figures for this market yet.
Home values in Litchfield County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Litchfield County, not list prices. A specific property can sit well above or below them.
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
6 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Kent. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Outdoor activities
- The Gunks (Shawangunk Ridge, New Paltz)
- When
- Spring through fall, with a fall-foliage peak.
- Attendance
- 50,000 (Wikipedia says the Mohonk Preserve hosts 50,000 climbers each year; total preserve visitation is not given.)
- STR angle
- The premier climbing area within reach of New York City also draws hikers, cyclists and leaf-peepers. Houses in Gardiner and New Paltz with views of the ridge rent for weekends nearly year-round.
Landmarks
- Hyde Park Estates — Vanderbilt Mansion & Home of FDR
- When
- Year-round; busiest months by 2025 NPS recreation visits were Jul, May, Aug.
- Attendance
- 295,040 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025 — Vanderbilt Mansion NHS only; the neighbouring Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt NHS recorded 101,927 visits in 2025 and is counted separately)
- STR angle
- The Hyde Park estates, the Culinary Institute and Walkway Over the Hudson make a ready two-night Hudson Valley trip for New York City couples, heaviest from late spring through foliage. Rhinebeck-area houses with character command the best rates; stays are weekend-centred.
- Olana State Historic Site
- When
- Year-round grounds; house tours and visitation peak summer through foliage season.
- Attendance
- 200,000 (Wikipedia: "Olana receives approximately 200,000 visitors per year as of 2026." A new visitor centre opened in 2024 ahead of Frederic Church's 2026 bicentennial.)
- STR angle
- Olana is the headline sight for the Hudson/Catskill art-and-antiques weekend, a market driven by New York City couples on two- to three-night stays. Design-forward houses near Warren Street or with Hudson River or Catskill views are what this guest pays up for.
- Berkshire Cottages — The Mount & Naumkeag
- When
- House-museum season runs roughly May to October; summer and foliage weekends peak.
- Attendance
- 50,000 (The Mount only: Wikipedia states it welcomes "over 50,000 visitors each year" (undated). No figure found for Naumkeag.)
- STR angle
- Gilded Age estates anchor a summer arts-and-gardens trip for older, higher-spending couples from New York and Boston who stay a long weekend. Character houses within a short drive of Lenox and Stockbridge fit the guest; winter demand depends on skiing, not the mansions.
- Hancock Shaker Village
- When
- Seasonal (spring to fall); summer and foliage season are busiest.
- STR angle
- One stop on the Berkshires cultural circuit rather than a stand-alone reason to book, so it supports the same summer and foliage rental season as Tanglewood and the Lenox estates. Couples and small groups staying two to four nights are the core guest.
- Sleepy Hollow & Tarrytown Estates — Kykuit and Lyndhurst
- When
- Estate tours run seasonally (roughly May to November); October draws Legend of Sleepy Hollow visitors.
- STR angle
- The Rockefeller and Gould estates bring garden-and-architecture visitors all season, and October's Sleepy Hollow events produce a sharp, short peak. These are commuter suburbs with few rentals and tight local rules, so supply is thin and any compliant unit near the Tarrytown station benefits.
- Source
- Wikipedia: Kykuit
When they come
Ski-plus-summer climate: at least three months bring six inches or more of snowfall, and May to September is comfortable. 6 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F, and 4 months average six inches or more of snow. Warmest month: July (average high 83°F). Coldest: January (average low 22°F).
- Jan37°22°ColdSnow
- Feb39°23°ColdSnow
- Mar48°29°CoolSnow
- Apr58°39°Cool
- May68°48°Comfortable
- Jun77°59°Comfortable
- Jul83°66°Comfortable
- Aug81°64°Comfortable
- Sep73°57°Comfortable
- Oct63°48°Comfortable
- Nov50°35°Cool
- Dec42°28°ColdSnow
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 37 | 39 | 48 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 63 | 50 | 42 |
| Average low (°F) | 22 | 23 | 29 | 39 | 48 | 59 | 66 | 64 | 57 | 48 | 35 | 28 |
| Precipitation (in) | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 5.9 | 3.6 | 7.0 | 5.4 | 3.4 | 5.2 |
| Snowfall (in) | 8.4 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 6.6 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 5.9 | 6.4 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 10.2 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 5.2 |
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. We do not hold monthly occupancy or rate data for this market.
Who can reach it
Largest counties within 150 miles
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| Kings County, NY | 2,679,620 |
| Queens County, NY | 2,360,826 |
| New York County, NY | 1,645,867 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| River flooding | Relatively Moderate | 88.0 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 86.8 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 66.3 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 51.2 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 44.5 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 42.9 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 39.9 |
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 coastal flooding 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 Litchfield 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 Kent 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 Kent'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 Connecticut, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Kent on the map
Open Kent on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Kent STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Kent?
STR HUB has not rated Kent's short-term rental rules. Permit rule on file: Local STR rules unconfirmed — sources conflict. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the local jurisdiction before you buy or list.
How much does a 4-bedroom home cost in Kent?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Litchfield County is valued at $590,981 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $428,304, with all-home values up 2.8% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What brings visitors to Kent?
6 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Kent, including Hyde Park Estates — Vanderbilt Mansion & Home of FDR (295,040 published attendance), Olana State Historic Site (200,000 published attendance) and Berkshire Cottages — The Mount & Naumkeag (50,000 published attendance). Attendance is shown only where a source publishes it, and each driver's source is linked in the report.
What natural hazards affect Kent?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Litchfield County "Relatively Low" overall, with a score of 79.6 out of 100 (a national percentile). The highest-scoring hazards we track there are river flooding and hurricane. It is a county-wide index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination.
When is the weather best in Kent?
6 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F (May, June, July, August, September and October). Ski-plus-summer climate: at least three months bring six inches or more of snowfall, and May to September is comfortable. These are 2019-2023 climate normals, not booking data.
Sources and method
- Regulation summary and strictness rating: STR Agent HUB regulation research (official source: townofkentct.org).
- 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.
- 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 Litchfield County as a whole, not one street or neighbourhood.
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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