Billboard Ground Lease Calculator

Billboard lease revenue varies widely by traffic count, market, and digital vs static.

Daily traffic VPD

Digital (1) vs static (0)

Static base rent

Revenue share %

Operator annual revenue

Annual lease income

$18,000

Revenue share $

Digital multiplier

How the math works

Adjusted base = base × traffic factor × digital multiplier. Lease = max(base, rev share).

$12k × (45k/30k) × 1 = $18k base (static). Rev share 0 → $18k annual.

How to Use

Enter daily traffic count.
Enter digital vs static type.
Enter static base rent.
Enter revenue share %.
Enter operator annual billboard revenue.
Read annual lease income.

Frequently Asked Questions

Billboard lease rates?

Static billboard (traditional): $2,000-15,000/year rent. Rural: $500-3,000/year. Suburban major road: $3,000-10,000. Urban prime: $15,000-60,000. Highway (I-95, I-5, etc.): $8,000-50,000. Digital billboard: 3-8× static rates because of 6-8× revenue to operator (multiple ads per face). Revenue share structures: 15-35% of operator revenue common in high-revenue markets.

Traffic count impact?

<10k VPD: $1,500-4,000/yr. 10-25k: $3,000-8,000/yr. 25-50k: $6,000-18,000/yr. 50-100k: $12,000-40,000/yr. 100k+: $25,000-100,000/yr. Highway 150k+ VPD premium location: $40,000-250,000/yr for digital. Traffic times demographics matters: Route 1 Beverly Hills ($$$$) vs Route 1 rural Ohio ($).

Digital billboard economics?

Digital billboard cost: $150-400k install. Operator revenue: 10-40× static (6-8 ads × 8-12 sec rotation × higher rates). Typical digital billboard: $50-500k annual operator revenue in primary/secondary markets. Lease can be $10-100k/yr. Digital faces highly concentrated — Lamar, Outfront, Clear Channel, Cumulus dominate. Rural and tertiary markets still mostly static.

Regulatory considerations?

Federal Highway Beautification Act: restricts billboards on interstates. State laws vary — some states (VT, ME, HI, AK) ban new billboards. Many states restrict digital. Local zoning: most cities cap new installs. Digital conversion of existing: easier than new construction. Permits and spacing requirements (often 500-1,500 ft between billboards). Permit renewal every 1-10 years.