Wears Valley, TN short-term rental market report (2026)
Sevier County, Tennessee. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesLight-touch (2/5)
- 4-BR typical value$653K
- FEMA riskRelatively Low
- Demand drivers within 50 mi5
- People within 300 mi46.8 million
- ClimateFour-season
Everything STR HUB holds on Wears Valley, TN 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 Wears Valley?
What the rating rests on: No caps or owner-occupancy rule.
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.
Sevier County does not impose density caps, a limit on total permits, or a primary-residence requirement.
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 Sevier County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Sevier 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
5 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Wears Valley. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Attractions
- Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg Parkway
- When
- Year-round; summer, October foliage and the winter lights season are busiest.
- Attendance
- 11,000,000 (Wikipedia (Pigeon Forge): attractions in Pigeon Forge "draw approximately 11 million visitors each year" — uncited. Dollywood and Great Smoky Mountains National Park are separate entries in the dataset.)
- STR angle
- The dinner theatres, mountain coasters, outlet malls and The Island make this one of the largest cabin-rental markets in the country, independent of the park next door. Large cabins with views, hot tubs and game rooms lead; supply is heavy, so occupancy depends on standing out.
- Dollywood
- When
- Seasonal (spring-winter)
- Attendance
- 3,800,000 (~3.8 million annually per the park's own infobox figure (year not separately specified); a Feb 2026 report referenced 'record attendance' expected for the park's 41st season without giving an exact number (source: Wikipedia))
- STR angle
- One of the single largest STR-driven tourism markets in the country - Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg/Sevierville has one of the highest concentrations of cabin-style STRs in the US, largely built around Dollywood and the Smokies.
- Source
- Wikipedia - Dollywood
Parks and public lands
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- When
- Year-round; peaks June, July, October (by recreation-visit volume, 2025).
- Attendance
- 11,527,939 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025)
- STR angle
- The single largest cabin-rental market in the U.S. exists in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge specifically because it is the most-visited unit in the entire National Park System.
Outdoor activities
- Nantahala Gorge (Nantahala Outdoor Center)
- When
- Spring through fall paddling season.
- STR angle
- Family-friendly whitewater on the quiet side of the Smokies, with a scenic railroad and national-park traffic (tracked separately) sharing the same town. Creekside cabins with hot tubs near Bryson City are the staple.
- Windrock Park
- When
- Open year-round.
- STR angle
- Off-road groups want cabins with trailer parking and direct trail access, and the downhill bike park adds a second audience. Wikipedia notes the local economy is starting to capitalize on ATV riders.
- Source
- Windrock Park
When they come
Four-season climate: comfortable months are spread across the year without one dominant season. 8 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F, and 1 month averages six inches or more of snow. Warmest month: July (average high 87°F). Coldest: January (average low 34°F).
- Jan50°34°CoolSnow
- Feb56°37°Cool
- Mar62°42°Comfortable
- Apr68°48°Comfortable
- May76°57°Comfortable
- Jun82°64°Comfortable
- Jul87°69°Comfortable
- Aug85°67°Comfortable
- Sep80°62°Comfortable
- Oct71°52°Comfortable
- Nov59°40°Cool
- Dec55°37°Cool
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 50 | 56 | 62 | 68 | 76 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 80 | 71 | 59 | 55 |
| Average low (°F) | 34 | 37 | 42 | 48 | 57 | 64 | 69 | 67 | 62 | 52 | 40 | 37 |
| Precipitation (in) | 5.5 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 4.8 |
| Snowfall (in) | 6.2 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 5.9 | 6.0 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 10.8 | 11.8 | 12.0 | 11.2 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 6.3 |
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 |
|---|---|
| Fulton County, GA | 1,061,944 |
| Gwinnett County, GA | 957,977 |
| Cobb County, GA | 765,813 |
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 Low | 90.0 |
| River flooding | Relatively Moderate | 84.1 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 81.2 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 78.7 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 70.9 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 56.5 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 56.2 |
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 Sevier 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 Wears Valley 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 Wears Valley'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 Tennessee, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Wears Valley on the map
Open Wears Valley on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Wears Valley STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Wears Valley?
STR HUB rates Wears Valley's short-term rental rules 2/5 (Light-touch) 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 Wears Valley?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Sevier County is valued at $652,572 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $407,695, with all-home values down 0.2% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What brings visitors to Wears Valley?
5 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Wears Valley, including Great Smoky Mountains National Park (11,527,939 published attendance), Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg Parkway (11,000,000 published attendance) and Dollywood (3,800,000 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 Wears Valley?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sevier County "Relatively Low" overall, with a score of 77.4 out of 100 (a national percentile). The highest-scoring hazards we track there are earthquake and river flooding. It is a county-wide index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination.
When is the weather best in Wears Valley?
8 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F (March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October). Four-season climate: comfortable months are spread across the year without one dominant season. 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 Sevier 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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