Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Annual net income
$22,924
Annual gross lease revenue
$35,424
Net margin
64.7%
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter number of ad faces.
- 2Enter monthly lease rate per face ($).
- 3Enter average occupancy across the year (%).
- 4Enter annual ground lease / land cost ($).
- 5Enter annual maintenance + insurance ($).
- 6Read your annual net income on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Billboard economics are simple on the surface — lease a face to an advertiser for a monthly rate — but the net number depends heavily on land lease or ownership cost, structure maintenance, and vacancy between advertisers, which for static bulletin boards can run several months between long-term tenants. This calculator takes monthly lease rate per face, number of faces on the structure (most bulletins are two-sided), expected occupancy rate across the year accounting for vacancy between tenants, land rent or amortized structure cost, and maintenance, to compute annual net operating income for the sign.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Number of ad faces: 2
- Monthly lease rate per face: 1800 $
- Average occupancy across the year: 82 %
- Annual ground lease / land cost: 9000 $
- Annual maintenance + insurance: 3500 $
Results
- Annual net income: $22,924
- Annual gross lease revenue: $35,424
- Net margin: 64.7%
What each field means
Inputs
- Number of ad faces
- The number of ad faces used in the calculation. Starts at 2 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–4.
- Monthly lease rate per face ($)
- The monthly lease rate per face used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1800 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Average occupancy across the year (%)
- The average occupancy across the year used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 82 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 20–100 %.
- Annual ground lease / land cost ($)
- The annual ground lease / land cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 9000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual maintenance + insurance ($)
- The annual maintenance + insurance used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3500 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Annual net income
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Annual gross lease revenue
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Net margin
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What determines a billboard's lease rate?
Traffic count (average daily vehicles passing, from state DOT data), visibility (approach angle, clutter, height), market size, and digital versus static format. Static bulletins in mid-size markets commonly lease $1,000-$3,000/month per face; digital boards with rotating ads can generate several times that from multiple advertisers sharing one face.
How much vacancy should I expect between advertisers?
Well-located static bulletins with an established ad agency relationship often run 80-90% annual occupancy; poster-panel (smaller, roadside) locations or those in weak markets can see occupancy drop to 50-65% with gaps of 2-4 months between long-term tenants while a broker finds the next advertiser.
Are digital billboards worth the higher cost?
Digital boards cost significantly more to install ($150,000-$400,000+ versus $30,000-$80,000 for static) but generate revenue from multiple advertisers rotating on one face, often doubling or tripling annual revenue per structure in high-traffic locations — the payback math depends heavily on local ad demand density.
What permits and restrictions affect billboard economics?
Local zoning, state scenic-byway restrictions, and federal highway beautification rules can cap new billboard permits in many jurisdictions, which paradoxically makes existing permitted structures more valuable since replacement supply is constrained — factor permit scarcity into any acquisition analysis.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Billboard Lease Revenue Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/billboard-lease-revenue
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/billboard-lease-revenue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Billboard Lease Revenue Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Billboard Lease Revenue Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/billboard-lease-revenue) (2026).