Airbnb generated $90 million in economic activity in Birmingham in 2023

Airbnb released new data showing that hosts in the Birmingham metro area contributed an estimated $90 million in local economic activity in 2023.¹

By welcoming guests into their homes who then spend money on local businesses, hosts in the Birmingham metro area helped support approximately 1,200 jobs,² which in turn generated approximately $50 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 Birmingham contributed an estimated $22 million in total tax revenue,⁴ including more than $1.8 million in local lodging and hotel taxes collected and remitted by Airbnb on behalf of hosts in Birmingham.

Hosting on Airbnb is a vital source of supplemental income for residents in Birmingham and across Alabama to keep up with rising costs of living. According to a 2023 survey of hosts in Alabama, nearly 50 percent said they plan to use the money earned from hosting on Airbnb to help cover increased costs of living, while 34 percent said hosting 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 the region.

“This new analysis underscores how home sharing is an important economic lifeline for many Birmingham residents and a vital contributor to Birmingham’s tourism economy,” said Nia Brown, Airbnb Public Policy Manager. “It will help inform our work with Birmingham 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 Birmingham leaders and continuing to pioneer innovative solutions to support responsible tourism. For example, disruptive parties are banned on Airbnb and incidents are rare — just 0.035 percent of reservations globally resulted in a party report to us. To try to reduce the risk of disruptive parties, we continually invest in new technology, like our reservation screening and dedicated anti-party measures for holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July. Thanks to these anti-party measures we’ve seen an over 50 percent decrease globally in the rate of party reports to us since we introduced our party ban in 2020.⁶ 

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

• In the rare event of an incident during a stay, like a party in progress, our 24-Hour Safety Line enables hosts to quickly reach our specialized safety team for help.
• Our Neighborhood Support Line enables neighbors to speak directly to us to report any concerns about a home they believe is listed on Airbnb – we investigate reports we receive and take appropriate action. 
• 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. 
• In support of Hosts, we collaborated with property tech company Minut to offer free noise sensors, which can help hosts to get ahead of noise and nuisance while respecting guest privacy.