NC's rural Airbnb hosts see huge boost in bookings

Airbnb hosts in North Carolina's rural counties combined to earn more than $370 million last year, according to the travel website.

Airbnb says that there are more than 13,000 hosts in rural counties across the state. The site said the typical host in a rural county in North Carolina earned more than $14,000 last year.

New hosts in rural counties in the state earned more than $54 million alone in 2022. Hosting has attracted a variety of ages, with nearly 30% of hosts in rural counties in North Carolina older than the age of 60. Nearly 35% of Airbnb hosts in rural counties are also women.

Women Airbnb hosts combined last year across the country to earn more than $7 billion.

The top counties near the Triangle for bookings included Moore, Warren, Chatham, Person, Northampton, Harnett, Wayne, Nash, Halifax and Lee counties. Each saw more than $500,000 in income last year.

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Dare County Airbnb hosts had the largest income with a combined $71.44 million. It is the easternmost county and home to the 110 miles of shoreline known as the Outer Banks. Brunswick County, the southernmost county in the state and home to Oak Island, Bald Head Island and other beach towns, was also popular with hosts there earning $34.6 million. Carteret County, which houses the southern Outer Banks, saw $21.3 million in income for hosts.

The mountains were also popular with Airbnb hosts in Watuaga who made a combined $36.1 million last year. Hosts in Haywood County, which includes Asheville, earned $19.8 million.

The state has about 70 rural counties, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

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