How Much Do Sevierville Cabins Make?
The highest-earning public market in the Smokies, and the supply story that explains both the number and the risk.
Updated September 2026
What a Sevierville cabin earns today
Sevierville sits near the top of the Smokies on paper. The average short-term rental here earns about $70,400 a year, on a $366 average nightly rate and 57% occupancy, across 7,535 active listings. That is AirDNA's public data for August 2025 to August 2026.
Why does Sevierville outearn Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge? Inventory mix. The rental stock skews newer and larger, with more four to six bedroom cabins, private pools, and modern finishes. Bigger cabins post bigger numbers, which lifts the average. On a same-size, same-quality basis the three markets are far closer than the averages suggest.
Source: AirDNA Sevierville market data, August 2026. Gross booking revenue per active listing, before fees and operating costs.
How these numbers are measured
Figures cover Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com listings. Occupancy is measured against nights each listing was available, not all 365 days, which is why revenue does not equal nightly rate times occupancy times 365. Market averages include every listing regardless of how well it is run, so treat them as a benchmark rather than a forecast for any single property. Last reviewed 2026-09-30.
The trend is the part buyers should read twice
Over the year to August 2026, Sevierville's active listings fell about 45.9% while average revenue per remaining listing rose about 24.3%. Occupancy slipped 1%, and the average nightly rate fell 7.3%, the steepest rate decline of the core Smokies markets.
The headline revenue number looks strong, but revenue per available night fell 7%. Fewer active listings are splitting the market and the average one is booked across more of the year, while guests are paying less per night. That is a market rewarding volume and sharp pricing, not a new cabin renting itself. Underwriting a purchase on the headline average alone is how owners get hurt.
Why the average is the least useful number on this page
When 7,535 listings compete and hundreds of them are near-identical new builds, mispricing gets punished within a week. A great cabin with average operations earns average money here. That is the trap.
It is also the opportunity. In a market this crowded, the operational gap between a professionally run cabin and the lookalike next door is wider than in a tight market, because there are more coasting neighbors to take share from.
What could your Sevierville cabin earn?
A local Haven advisor will build a projection from comparable cabins we already manage. Twenty minutes, no obligation.
Prefer to talk now? Call 865-263-7366What owners actually keep
Every figure on this page is gross booking revenue. These are the lines that come out of it before anything reaches your account.
| Cost line | What drives it |
|---|---|
| Management | The single biggest line if you hire a manager, and the one that should pay for itself. Judge it on revenue delivered net of fee, never on the percentage alone. |
| Cleaning and linens | Usually recovered through a guest-paid cleaning fee. Turnover volume, cabin size, and hot tub service drive the real cost. |
| Platform commissions | Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com each take a cut of gross bookings. Direct bookings avoid it, which is why a direct channel is worth building. |
| Utilities and connectivity | Electric, water or septic, propane, trash, and guest-grade internet. Mountain cabins with hot tubs run higher than owners expect. |
| Maintenance and repairs | Hot tubs, HVAC, gravel drives, decks, and winter freeze protection. Budget as a standing monthly reserve, not a surprise. |
| Insurance and property tax | Short-term rental coverage costs more than a homeowner policy. Both scale with the value of the cabin, not its revenue. |
| Permits and inspections | Annual short-term rental permits plus a yearly life-safety inspection. Sevier County charges $250 a year for properties sleeping 12 or fewer. |
| Furnishing and refresh | Not an operating cost, but a real one. Mattresses, linens, and photography age, and tired cabins lose ranking before they lose reviews. |
What decides where you land
Two similar cabins can finish the year tens of thousands apart. This is usually why.
Standing out among new builds
Entire hillsides of similar cabins came online in the last five years. Design touches, a signature amenity, and photography that sells the experience separate your listing from the twelve lookalikes a guest scrolls past.
Pricing against real comps
With this much supply, a stale rate is an empty calendar. A revenue manager watching your true competitive set, not a zip-code average, keeps you booked without giving nights away.
Location within the sprawl
Sevierville stretches from the 407 Gateway to deep mountain roads. Drive time to the Parkway, view quality, and winter road access all price differently, so underwrite the specific parcel rather than the city name.
Sevierville cabin revenue, answered
About $70,400 in gross annual revenue, per AirDNA's public data for August 2025 to August 2026, on a $366 average nightly rate and 57% occupancy across 7,535 active listings. It is one of the highest market averages in the Smokies, largely because the local inventory skews newer and larger.
Inventory mix, not a better market. Sevierville's rental stock includes more four to six bedroom cabins with private pools and modern finishes, and larger cabins produce larger revenue figures. Compare a similar cabin in each market and the difference narrows sharply.
The latest data points the other way. Active listings fell about 45.9% in the year to August 2026, and revenue per remaining listing rose about 24.3%. The pressure now is on price: nightly rates fell 7.3%. Competition is real for owners who list and forget, and an advantage for owners who operate professionally against neighbors who do not.
Gross booking revenue, before costs. Management, cleaning, platform commissions, utilities, maintenance, insurance, property tax, and permits all come out of it. See the cost table above for the lines to model.
Bedroom count that matches family demand, a view or a pool as a bookable hook, sane road access in winter, and a parcel whose jurisdiction and permitting you have verified. Then underwrite with market averages and a soft trend, not the listing agent's best-year screenshot.
Revenue data for other Smokies markets
Sevierville property management: see how Haven runs cabins here
Thinking of buying? Where to buy a rental cabin in the Smokies
What would your cabin actually earn?
In a market with 7,535 competing listings, the average tells you very little about your cabin. A 20-minute call with a local advisor gets you a real projection, built from comparable Sevierville properties we already manage.