If you’re shopping for a timeshare resale, timeshare industry research helps you understand the market first. In June 2026, ARDA released the 2026 State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry report, which covers calendar year 2025 and surveys U.S. timeshare resorts, developers and management companies. In this post, we pull out the details that matter most to buyers like you. So, you’ll see what the report says about sales, maintenance fees, occupancy, rentals and where resorts are located.
- What ARDA's Timeshare Industry Research Covers
- Does Anybody Buy Timeshares Anymore?
- Timeshare Industry Research on Maintenance Fees
- Timeshare Industry Research on Occupancy vs. Hotels
- What Industry Research Says About Timeshare Rentals
- Where Are U.S. Timeshare Resorts Located?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Timeshare Industry Research
- Find Your Next Timeshare on Timeshares Only
What ARDA’s Timeshare Industry Research Covers
ARDA’s State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry: United States Study, 2026 Edition, is the timeshare industry research behind most figures in this post. Despite the 2026 label, the report measures calendar year 2025. ARDA Research & Insights publishes the study. Ernst & Young LLP (EY) conducted the survey and the analysis.
You may have seen older articles credit the study to the “AIF.” That’s the ARDA International Foundation, which holds the copyright. So you’re reading the same study under its current name.
For its 2025 data, ARDA reports that EY surveyed all 1,434 identified U.S. timeshare resorts. According to ARDA, 610 of those resorts responded for 2025, a 43% response rate. The study covers resorts that sell and maintain weekly-interval and points-based timeshare. It leaves out fractional resorts, private residence clubs and destination clubs.
One more limit matters most when you shop resale. The report’s 2025 sales figures count first-generation (developer) sales only. Timeshares resold on the secondary market, like the postings on our site, sit outside those sales numbers.
| U.S. timeshare industry | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer sales volume | $8.1 billion | $10.5 billion | $10.6 billion | $10.5 billion | $10.7 billion |
| Average price per transaction | $19,590 | $23,940 | $24,170 | $23,160 | $24,740 |
| Average occupancy | 73.1% | 77.6% | 76.8% | 80.0% | 79.9% |
| Rental revenue | $2.2 billion | $2.7 billion | $3.0 billion | $3.2 billion | $3.3 billion |
| Average maintenance fee | $1,120 | $1,170 | $1,260 | $1,480 | $1,550 |
Does Anybody Buy Timeshares Anymore?
Plenty of people still buy timeshares. ARDA reports that U.S. timeshare developer sales totaled $10.7 billion in 2025, across about 432,780 transactions. ARDA also describes developer sales volume as stable since 2022. So the short answer is yes, and in large numbers.
According to ARDA, the average price per transaction was $24,740 in 2025. However, that figure is not what a timeshare costs. A transaction can be a first purchase, an upgrade or a reload, where an existing owner buys more.
ARDA stopped reporting a per-week sales price in 2022 because points sales made it less meaningful. So ARDA’s 2025 average of $24,740 is not the price of one week.
ARDA reports that existing owners accounted for 61% of 2025 sales volume. New owners made up the other 39% of 2025 volume, according to ARDA. ARDA says this split suggests high satisfaction among timeshare consumers.
ARDA’s sales figures, the core of this timeshare industry research, track developer sales. Of course, the resale market is a separate path. In ARDA’s 2026 Owners Report survey, 25% of owners said they acquired a timeshare through resale and 81% through a new sale. Owners could give more than one answer.
Resale asking prices sit well below developer pricing. You can browse resale timeshares for sale in our postings or learn how buying resale works before you choose.
Timeshare Industry Research on Maintenance Fees
Timeshare industry research from ARDA puts the average billed maintenance fee at $1,550 per interval in 2025, meaning one week or its points equivalent. ARDA reports that the 2025 average rose 4.7% from $1,480 in 2024. Maintenance fees are the ongoing cost you take on as an owner.
According to ARDA, the 2025 average includes contributions to reserves. However, ARDA notes the average excludes taxes and special assessments. So your total bill can run higher.
Unit size matters too. ARDA’s 2026 report shows 2025 averages of $1,180 for a studio and $1,260 for a one-bedroom. ARDA reports two-bedroom units averaged $1,550 in 2025, while three-bedroom or larger units averaged $1,900.
ARDA says fee increases from 2022 to 2024 were larger than in prior years. ARDA says those larger increases likely came from inflation and rising insurance costs tied to recent natural disasters. According to ARDA, the 2025 increase was more in line with general inflation and historical norms. Learn more about how maintenance fees compare with inflation.
Of course, your resort’s fee may differ from the national average. So before you buy, ask for the resort’s current maintenance fee in writing.
Timeshare Industry Research on Occupancy vs. Hotels
Timeshare resorts averaged 79.9% occupancy in 2025, according to ARDA’s 2026 report. U.S. hotels averaged 62.3% occupancy in 2025, based on CoStar data cited in ARDA’s 2026 report. So the latest timeshare industry research shows resort units were filled more often than hotel rooms that year.
Owners and their guests used 47.3% of 2025 intervals, ARDA reports. Renters took 17.8% of 2025 intervals, according to ARDA. ARDA reports that exchange guests filled 9.7% and marketing guests filled 5.1% of 2025 intervals. Per ARDA, 20.1% of 2025 intervals sat vacant.
Keep in mind that ARDA counts occupancy as physical check-ins by any guest type, including renters and marketing guests. So the 79.9% rate ARDA reports for 2025 covers every stay, not owner use alone.
ARDA says occupancy has stabilized around 80% over the past two years, through 2025. As you browse resale ads, treat these 2025 figures as useful context. Of course, they describe the whole industry, not one specific resort.
What Industry Research Says About Timeshare Rentals
Timeshare industry research shows that renting is a big part of how people use resorts. ARDA reports that timeshare rental revenue reached $3.3 billion in 2025. ARDA says those 2025 rentals covered about 12.0 million nights at an average of $272 per night.
ARDA says rental revenue in 2025 was up 20% since 2022. Renters also held 17.8% of timeshare intervals in 2025, according to ARDA’s 2026 report. So plenty of travelers stay at timeshare resorts without owning one.
Renting is one way to try a resort before you buy. In 2025, 83% of resorts offered a rental program, ARDA reports. Among those resorts, ARDA found that 96% offered daily rentals and 86% offered weekly rentals in 2025. ARDA also reports that 95% of those resorts set rates that vary by season in 2025.
So you can book a few nights, test the amenities and see if the location fits your family. Browse timeshare rentals on Timeshares Only to compare resorts before you commit. If you already own, you can also rent out your timeshare with an ad on our site.
Where Are U.S. Timeshare Resorts Located?
Half of all U.S. timeshare resorts sat in just five states in 2025, according to ARDA’s 2026 report. ARDA reports Florida led with 337 resorts in 2025, or 24% of the U.S. total. According to ARDA, California followed in 2025 with 128 resorts, then South Carolina with 105, Hawaii with 98 and Nevada with 55.
ARDA found those five states held two-thirds of U.S. timeshare units in 2025. So a smart first stop is Florida timeshares.
Timeshare industry research from ARDA counted 1,434 resorts with about 188,700 units across the U.S. in 2025. That averages 132 units per resort in 2025, ARDA reports.
According to ARDA, two-bedroom units made up 58% of timeshare units in 2025, and one-bedroom units made up 24%. ARDA found 88% of resorts offered points-based products and 85% offered traditional weeks in 2025 (more than one answer allowed).
ARDA reports 2025 resort and unit counts ran about 9% below 2020 as the industry retires older resorts. ARDA says these closures will likely contribute to a healthier, more sustainable timeshare market over the long term.
Frequently Asked Questions About Timeshare Industry Research
Find Your Next Timeshare on Timeshares Only
ARDA’s sales figures count developer sales only, not the resale timeshares that owners post on Timeshares Only. With 30+ years in the timeshare resale business, we hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and serve as a Featured Reseller for ARDA’s Coalition for Responsible Exit. If you own a timeshare and want to move on, you can sell your timeshare with us too. Of course, you can also browse owner-posted ads below to find your next vacation getaway.
