Telluride, CO short-term rental market report (2026)
San Miguel County, Colorado. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesStrict (4/5)
- 4-BR typical value$4.4M
- FEMA riskVery Low
- Demand drivers within 50 mi7
- People within 300 mi9.9 million
- ClimateSki-plus-summer
Everything STR HUB holds on Telluride, CO 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. The Opportunity Score here is partial: it was calculated without revenue data, with the cash-flow component assumed to be below average, so it can understate the market.
Can you operate in Telluride?
What the rating rests on: residential-zone properties under a Residential or Limited license are limited to at most 3 short-term rentals per calendar year and a cumulative maximum of 29 STR nights annually.
Rules change, and a city rating does not cover HOA or deed restrictions. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before you buy or list.
Which way the rules are moving
Stable. The rules we hold report no recent or pending change.
Classified from the regulation text we publish; a direction is only kept when the sentence it rests on appears word for word in that text.
The numbers
We have not verified revenue figures for this market yet.
Home values in San Miguel County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for San Miguel 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
7 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Telluride. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Events
- Telluride Bluegrass Festival
- When
- Third weekend of June, 4 days (Telluride Town Park)
- STR angle
- A capped, sold-out festival in a supply-constrained mountain town, so nearby STRs (Telluride, Mountain Village, Ridgway) command premium June rates.
- Telluride Film Festival
- When
- Labor Day weekend (early September), 4 days
- STR angle
- A high-end, capacity-limited industry event that commands premium Labor Day weekend STR rates in a town with very little lodging supply.
Parks and public lands
- Curecanti National Recreation Area
- When
- Year-round; peaks June, July, August (by recreation-visit volume, 2025).
- Attendance
- 807,117 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025)
- STR angle
- Secondary Gunnison-area lake-recreation driver, complementing Black Canyon NP for the region's cabin market.
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
- When
- Year-round; peaks May, June, September (by recreation-visit volume, 2025).
- Attendance
- 250,086 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025)
- STR angle
- Secondary stop on the Montrose/Gunnison Colorado outdoor circuit; modest incremental cabin demand.
Outdoor activities
- Ouray (Ice Park, hot springs & Jeep trails)
- When
- Ice climbing in winter; hiking and four-wheel-drive season in summer.
- STR angle
- A town of about 900 with winter ice climbers, summer Jeep and hiking traffic, and hot springs year-round. In-town Victorian houses and condos within walking distance of the pools and the ice park fit.
- Telluride Ski Resort
- When
- Winter ski season, roughly late November to mid-April; summer brings hiking and lift-served biking.
- STR angle
- Remote box-canyon resort: guests fly in and stay long. Mountain Village ski-in/ski-out condos and in-town homes near the gondola work; the festival season (tracked separately) fills summer.
Landmarks
- Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
- When
- Full Durango–Silverton service runs roughly May through October; shorter winter trains operate.
- STR angle
- The steam train is an all-day round trip, which by itself turns Durango into at least a two-night stay for families and rail fans, and it pairs with Mesa Verde an hour west. In-town houses near the depot and mountain cabins both work; Durango caps vacation-rental permits in its core neighbourhoods.
When they come
Ski-plus-summer climate: at least three months bring six inches or more of snowfall, and May to September is comfortable. 4 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F, and 8 months average six inches or more of snow. Warmest month: July (average high 74°F). Coldest: December (average low 10°F).
- Jan30°11°ColdSnow
- Feb30°11°ColdSnow
- Mar36°18°ColdSnow
- Apr44°24°ColdSnow
- May53°32°CoolSnow
- Jun66°37°ComfortableEvent
- Jul74°46°Comfortable
- Aug72°45°Comfortable
- Sep66°40°ComfortableEvent
- Oct52°26°CoolSnow
- Nov41°16°ColdSnow
- Dec33°10°ColdSnow
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 30 | 30 | 36 | 44 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 72 | 66 | 52 | 41 | 33 |
| Average low (°F) | 11 | 11 | 18 | 24 | 32 | 37 | 46 | 45 | 40 | 26 | 16 | 10 |
| Precipitation (in) | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.7 |
| Snowfall (in) | 15.8 | 17.7 | 26.3 | 12.2 | 9.1 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 7.9 | 11.9 | 18.8 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 7.4 | 8.4 | 9.2 | 11.8 | 12.8 | 13.6 | 13.2 | 12.6 | 11.5 | 10.2 | 8.7 | 7.1 |
| Event month | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Event months within 50 miles
- June: Telluride Bluegrass Festival
- September: Telluride Film 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 |
|---|---|
| Mesa County, CO | 156,131 |
| San Juan County, NM | 121,798 |
| Garfield County, CO | 61,683 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 80.1 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 43.7 |
| River flooding | Very Low | 31.6 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 31.4 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 3.4 |
| Hail | Very Low | 1.6 |
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 and 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 San Miguel 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 Telluride 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 Telluride'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 Colorado, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Telluride on the map
Open Telluride on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Telluride STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Telluride?
STR HUB rates Telluride's short-term rental rules 4/5 (Strict) on a scale from 1 (relaxed) to 5 (very strict). That rating was derived from the regulation text we hold and has not yet been reviewed by a person. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the local jurisdiction before you buy or list.
How much does a 4-bedroom home cost in Telluride?
The typical 4-bedroom home in San Miguel County is valued at $4,422,884 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $1,597,939, with all-home values up 7.9% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What brings visitors to Telluride?
7 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Telluride, including Curecanti National Recreation Area (807,117 published attendance), Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (250,086 published attendance) and Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Attendance is shown only where a source publishes it, and each driver's source is linked in the report.
What natural hazards affect Telluride?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates San Miguel County "Very Low" overall, with a score of 19.1 out of 100 (a national percentile). The highest-scoring hazards we track there are wildfire and winter weather. It is a county-wide index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination.
When is the weather best in Telluride?
4 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F (June, July, August and September). 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.
- 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 San Miguel 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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