Wimberley, TX short-term rental market report (2026)
Hays County, Texas. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesStrict (4/5)
- 4-BR typical value$414K
- FEMA riskRelatively Moderate
- Demand drivers within 50 mi11
- People within 300 mi27.7 million
- ClimateWinter-sun
Everything STR HUB holds on Wimberley, TX 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 Wimberley?
What the rating rests on: short-term renting is not allowed by right in any residential zoning district.
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
Tightening. The rules we hold report a recent or pending change.
Wimberley adopted a 120-day moratorium in November 2025 pausing new STR permit applications that require a CUP, then extended it on March 5, 2026 to remain in effect through July 4, 2026, while the council studies whether the existing supply already meets demand.
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 Hays County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Hays 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
11 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Wimberley. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Events
- San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
- When
- February, about three weeks
- Attendance
- 1,300,000 (Approximately 1.3 million visitors (2022, per Wikipedia).)
- STR angle
- A three-week February event ranked alongside Fiesta San Antonio as one of the city's top annual tourism draws, filling AT&T Center/Frost Bank Center-area lodging.
- Austin City Limits Music Festival
- When
- Two consecutive 3-day weekends in October (Zilker Park)
- Attendance
- 450,000 (450,000 over six days across both weekends (2025); daily capacity is about 75,000.)
- STR angle
- Two October weekends drive one of Austin's strongest non-SXSW STR demand spikes, on top of $534.8M in one-year economic activity for the city.
- Formula 1 United States Grand Prix (Circuit of the Americas)
- When
- October race weekend, 3 days
- Attendance
- 440,000 (About 440,000 across the 3-day weekend, with 150,000+ on race day (2022, a North American F1 attendance record, per Wikipedia); more recent 2024/2025 totals were not independently verified in this pass.)
- STR angle
- The largest single motorsport weekend in Austin's calendar, driving some of the highest STR rates of the year across the metro.
- South by Southwest (SXSW)
- When
- March, roughly 9-10 days (Austin Convention Center + citywide venues)
- Attendance
- 345,066 (Approx. 345,066 total participation across SXSW Conference & Festivals plus SXSW EDU (2023); this is combined conference+festival registration, not a single-venue headcount.)
- STR angle
- A ten-day, citywide conference-and-festival that books out Austin hotels and STRs well in advance every March, independent of the music-festival calendar.
- MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas (COTA)
- When
- Spring (recent editions in March/April)
- STR angle
- A second annual international motorsport weekend at COTA (alongside F1) that adds a spring STR demand spike distinct from October's F1 weekend.
- Source
- Wikipedia - MotoGP
Attractions
- Fredericksburg & Texas Hill Country wine road
- When
- Year-round weekends; spring wildflowers (March–April), peach season and October are peaks.
- STR angle
- A German-heritage main street and dozens of wineries along US-290, within 90 minutes of both Austin and San Antonio. Guesthouses and "Sunday houses" are the local tradition; the city requires STR permits and the market is heavily weekend-weighted.
- NLand Surf Park
- When
- Year-round (historically)
- STR angle
- Not currently a demand driver; included as a cautionary example - Austin's original surf park never achieved sustained operation, while Waco Surf (90 min away) has become the region's actual surf-tourism draw.
- Source
- Wikipedia - NLand
- San Antonio River Walk
- When
- Year-round; peaks March to July and during Fiesta (April) and the December holiday lights.
- STR angle
- Texas's signature urban attraction, threaded past the Alamo and the convention centre, so leisure and meeting demand overlap. San Antonio permits STRs but limits non-owner-occupied permits per block face in residential areas.
Landmarks
- San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
- When
- Year-round; busiest months by 2025 NPS recreation visits were Jan, Mar, Jul.
- Attendance
- 1,552,510 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025 — Wikipedia's infobox shows 1,238,920 for 2022)
- STR angle
- Four Spanish colonial missions strung along the river south of downtown are a World Heritage Site linked by a hike-and-bike trail. They pull visitors into the South Side, where houses are far cheaper than around the River Walk.
- Fredericksburg German Heritage Town (Texas Hill Country)
- When
- Year-round weekends; spring wildflowers, peach season, Oktoberfest and Christmas peak.
- STR angle
- A German-settled main street, a major Pacific War museum and a dense wine road make this one of Texas's most established weekend markets for Austin, San Antonio and Houston couples. "Sunday houses", cottages and guesthouses are the local product; supply is heavy, so design and location decide occupancy.
- The Alamo
- When
- Year-round; spring break, Fiesta in April and summer peak.
- STR angle
- The Alamo and the River Walk beside it are the core of San Antonio leisure travel for Texas families and convention visitors, and the 2028 museum should lengthen visits. San Antonio limits owner-absent rentals by density per block, so an existing permit is worth checking for before purchase.
- Source
- Wikipedia: Alamo Mission
When they come
Winter-sun climate: at least three comfortable months fall between November and March, and summer highs top 95°F, so winter is the pleasant season. 8 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F. Warmest month: August (average high 95°F). Coldest: February (average low 43°F).
- Jan62°44°Comfortable
- Feb62°43°ComfortableEvent
- Mar73°53°ComfortableEvent
- Apr78°59°ComfortableEvent
- May84°66°Comfortable
- Jun91°72°Hot
- Jul94°75°Hot
- Aug95°76°Hot
- Sep90°71°Hot
- Oct80°61°ComfortableEvent
- Nov68°51°Comfortable
- Dec65°47°Comfortable
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 62 | 62 | 73 | 78 | 84 | 91 | 94 | 95 | 90 | 80 | 68 | 65 |
| Average low (°F) | 44 | 43 | 53 | 59 | 66 | 72 | 75 | 76 | 71 | 61 | 51 | 47 |
| Precipitation (in) | 3.2 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 6.2 | 7.4 | 4.7 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 2.4 |
| Snowfall (in) | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 7.2 | 6.9 | 7.8 | 8.7 | 9.6 | 11.3 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 10.5 | 9.1 | 7.0 | 7.1 |
| Event month | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Event months within 50 miles
- February: San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
- March: South by Southwest (SXSW) and MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas (COTA)
- April: MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas (COTA)
- October: Austin City Limits Music Festival and Formula 1 United States Grand Prix (Circuit of the Americas)
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 |
|---|---|
| Bexar County, TX | 2,014,059 |
| Travis County, TX | 1,289,054 |
| Fort Bend County, TX | 832,607 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| Hail | Relatively High | 96.8 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 96.1 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 93.8 |
| River flooding | Relatively Moderate | 93.2 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 87.9 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 63.9 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 25.8 |
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 Hays 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 Wimberley 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 Wimberley'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 Texas, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Wimberley on the map
Open Wimberley on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Wimberley STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Wimberley?
STR HUB rates Wimberley'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 Wimberley?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Hays County is valued at $413,589 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $367,644, with all-home values down 3.9% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What brings visitors to Wimberley?
11 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Wimberley, including San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (1,552,510 published attendance), San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo (1,300,000 published attendance) and Austin City Limits Music Festival (450,000 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 Wimberley?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hays County "Relatively Moderate" overall, with a score of 90.6 out of 100 (a national percentile). The highest-scoring hazards we track there are hail and tornado. It is a county-wide index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination.
When is the weather best in Wimberley?
8 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F (January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December). Winter-sun climate: at least three comfortable months fall between November and March, and summer highs top 95°F, so winter is the pleasant 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.
- 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 Hays 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.
Buying a short-term rental in Wimberley?
Get matched with a Wimberley agent who works short-term rentals every day and knows which properties can legally operate.
Get matched with a Wimberley STR agent →