The best U.S. cities for DIYers
The pandemic’s economic effects helped supercharge home improvement spending, and many homeowners reported doing the work themselves due to having more time, health or safety reasons, or because contractors weren’t available. To determine the best locations for DIYers, researchers calculated the concentration of hardware, furniture, and appliance stores and ranked metros and states accordingly.
The Best U.S. Cities for DIYers
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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago, living space has taken on new importance for many Americans. From early COVID lockdowns to lasting remote or hybrid work arrangements, people have been spending more time at home and collectively investing billions in the spaces where they live.
While the pandemic’s economic effects—including high savings rates, low interest rates, and government stimulus—helped supercharge home improvement spending, investment in such home projects was already up in recent years, alongside more than a decade of rising home prices. In 2011, after the Great Recession, inflation-adjusted spending on major residential improvements per household fell to $1,452, but that figure grew steadily to $2,398 by 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Home improvement spending tends to rise and fall with home prices
While households have historically shown a greater likelihood of investing in their homes during periods of rising property values, a number of factors specific to the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged more homeowners to do the work themselves as “DIY” projects. Data from the Farnsworth Group and Home Improvement Research Institute collected between March 2020 and June 2021 show that upwards of 90% of DIYers reported doing the work because they had more time at home, upwards of 50% because of health or safety reasons, and upwards of 20% because contractors weren’t available. More recently, the rising cost of labor and materials could further incentivize homeowners to take on necessary projects themselves as a way to save money.
Being a DIYer is more conducive in some parts of the country than in others, given that between 80–90% of DIYers report purchasing their home improvement products in-store (as opposed to online). Based on the concentration of hardware, furniture, and appliance stores relative to the population, states in the Mountain West, Plains, and New England regions are the most DIY-friendly, led by Montana at 8.54 stores per 10,000 residents. At the opposite end of the spectrum are Nevada, Hawaii, Arizona, and California with fewer than half the number of stores per capita when compared to leading states.
Northwestern states have the highest concentration of hardware stores
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow, and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. To determine the best locations for DIYers, researchers at Porch calculated the concentration of hardware, furniture, and appliance stores (per 10,000 residents). In the event of a tie, the location with the greater total number of hardware, furniture, and appliance stores was ranked higher. To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 residents were included. Additionally, metros were grouped into cohorts based on population size: small (100,000–349,999), midsize (350,000–999,999), and large (1,000,000 or more).
Here are the best U.S. metropolitan areas for DIYers.
The best snall and midsize metros for DIYers
15. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.51
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 2,190
- Median home price: $649,034
- Cost of living (compared to average): +10.2%
14. Oklahoma City, OK
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.53
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 633
- Median home price: $210,799
- Cost of living (compared to average): -6.2%
13. Salt Lake City, UT
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.61
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 560
- Median home price: $602,765
- Cost of living (compared to average): -2.3%
12. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.61
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 1,139
- Median home price: $581,400
- Cost of living (compared to average): +5.7%
11. Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.63
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 881
- Median home price: $433,158
- Cost of living (compared to average): -3.0%
10. Pittsburgh, PA
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.64
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 1,079
- Median home price: $211,973
- Cost of living (compared to average): -4.3%
9. Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.68
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 564
- Median home price: $312,123
- Cost of living (compared to average): +2.9%
8. Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.70
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 503
- Median home price: $303,655
- Cost of living (compared to average): -5.3%
7. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.70
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 593
- Median home price: $236,137
- Cost of living (compared to average): -8.1%
6. Rochester, NY
Photo Credit: Andrew Zarivny / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.76
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 510
- Median home price: $211,155
- Cost of living (compared to average): -1.7%
5. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.77
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 774
- Median home price: $438,168
- Cost of living (compared to average): +1.2%
4. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.86
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 9,357
- Median home price: $600,354
- Cost of living (compared to average): +15.5%
3. New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 4.92
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 626
- Median home price: $264,185
- Cost of living (compared to average): -3.1%
2. Birmingham-Hoover, AL
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 5.12
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 557
- Median home price: $234,645
- Cost of living (compared to average): -7.4%
1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10k): 5.21
- Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 3,196
- Median home price: $430,068
- Cost of living (compared to average): +10.0%
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