Airbnb generated $54 million in economic activity in Lexington in 2023

Short-term rentals play a critical role in supporting Lexington’s tourism industry and the local economy by offering tourists unique, affordable accommodations. Airbnb released new data showing that hosts in Lexington contributed an estimated $54 million in local economic activity in 2023.¹

By welcoming guests into their homes who then spend money on local businesses, hosts in Lexington helped support more than 2,000 jobs,² which in turn generated approximately $35 million in income for local workers in 2023.³ 

Airbnb hosts also help raise important tax revenue for the city. Last year alone, Airbnb hosts in Lexington helped generate nearly $25 million in total tax revenue,⁴ including approximately $1.7 million in local hotel occupancy taxes collected and remitted by Airbnb on behalf of hosts in Lexington.

Hosting on Airbnb is a vital source of supplemental income for residents in Lexington. According to a survey of hosts in Lexington over the last year, 83 percent of hosts say hosting on Airbnb allows them to keep up with rising costs of living, while 67 percent say hosting has helped them stay in their home.⁵ For many hosts, eliminating the revenue earned through Airbnb would be a major blow, in some cases undermining their ability to afford to live in Lexington.

“This new analysis underscores how home sharing is an important economic lifeline for many Lexington residents and a vital contributor to the County’s economy,” said Vincent Frillici, Public Policy Manager at Airbnb. “It will help inform our work with Lexington leaders to develop fair, balanced regulations that balance the economic benefits of home sharing with the needs of the community.”

Airbnb remains committed to partnering with Lexington leaders to support responsible tourism. We continue finding innovative ways to improve the experience of hosts, guests and local communities, like with our disruptive parties ban. While incidents are rare on Airbnb, we continually invest in new technology to reduce the risk of disruptive parties, like our reservation screening and dedicated anti-party measures for holidays like Fourth of July and Halloween. Thanks to these anti-party measures, we’ve seen an over 50 percent global decrease in the rate of party reports to us since 2020, while last year just 0.035% of reservations globally resulted in a report of a party.⁶ 

Other tools and resources we offer to support local communities, hosts, and law enforcement include: 

• For neighbors, our Neighborhood Support Line is available 24/7 to report concerns to us in real-time about a home they believe is listed on Airbnb
• Hosts and guests have access to our 24-hour Safety Line, to directly reach our Safety team for urgent support, such as to report a suspected party in progress.
• Hosts can also get a free noise sensor, which has been found to help proactively address noise issues before they start while respecting guest privacy. We provide tips on steps hosts can take to help prevent parties in their listing.
• We work closely with law enforcement on relevant criminal investigations, and our online law enforcement portal provides a direct channel for law enforcement officers to submit valid legal requests for information to Airbnb.