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Coverage of travel and related business news in the Dispatch is brought to you by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
Median home prices in Saratoga County are up; revenue per available hotel and motel rooms are up, and the labor force remains about the same size as it has been for a couple years, the Saratoga County Chamber reported this week.
“Overall when you look at RevVPar [revenue per available rental room] and sales taxes in Saratoga Springs in particular, we continue to perform well in Saratoga County,” said Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga Chamber. The chamber authored the report.
Saratoga County’s median home price has risen about $79,000 over the past two years, a year-over-year increase of 9% to 10% or 20.5% cumulatively since 2023, the report says.
At the same time, the number of closed sales thus far this year is down 8.7% from 2024. The number of listings is down but less than 1%. Mortgage rates in the area for an average home buyer in the area are still about 6.6%, a historically a high rate, according to the Zillow home buying app.
The data shows a consistent upward trend in Saratoga County’s RevPAR, or revenue generated per available hotel or motel room, the report says.
Since 2022 the RevPAR has increased from $63.22 to $78.19 over this time, about a 23.6% increase in that time. However, growth appears to be moderating slightly, with the largest year-over-year increase occurring between 2023 and 2024 ($7.82 increase), while the 2024 to 2025 growth was more modest at $1.15.
Despite the tariffs that President Donald Trump issued against some Canadian products earlier this spring, and the ensuing trade war between the two countries, travel is strong in the area.
“I just don’t think it has hit here,” Shimkus said, adding that he has heard of some cancellations from northern tourists, but “We’re not a huge Canadian market.
“We are more of a drive market, especially for visitors from New York City, Long Island, New Jersey” and states such as Connecticut and Vermont, he said. “They [tourists] have still continued to spend and stay here.”
As proof, thus far in 2025, occupancy is down less than 1% and the average daily rate is up 2.2% versus 2024.
Saratoga County’s sales tax collections have risen $3.25 million over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025.
“The growth pattern is remarkably stable, with similar year-over-year increases of approximately $1.59 million from 2023 to 2024 and $1.66 million from 2024 to 2025,” the Chamber report says.
“In the City of Saratoga Springs, sales tax collections went up 5.2% in 2025 versus 2024.”
This followed a jump of 16.2% during this time frame from 2023 to 2024, at the tail end of the COVID pandemic.