2024 U.S. Houzz & Home Renovation Trends by Metro
Findings from a survey of 32,615 users, including 17,713 renovating U.S. homeowners on Houzz about their home renovations in 2023 and plans for 2024.
Houzz has identified what homeowners in the top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas by population per the cumulative Estimates of Resident Population by the U.S. Census Bureau* are spending, the pros they’re hiring and other key home improvement trends, according to a fresh cut of the 2024 U.S. Houzz & Home Study.
San Francisco Leads in Spend: The median spend for home renovation projects has surged over the past three years across the country as a whole. Nationwide, it was $15,000 in 2020, whereas in 2023 it was $24,000 — an increase of 60%. (Median spend is the midpoint level, meaning half of renovating homeowners surveyed spent more and half spent less. Spend has not been adjusted for inflation.)
However, the median spend is higher than that national figure in 22 of the top MSAs. In San Francisco, it’s $50,000, more than double the national number. San Jose, California, comes in second at $40,000 for median home renovation spend. Memphis, Tennessee ($38,900); Seattle, Washington ($36,000) and Los Angeles, California ($35,000), follow closely behind.
Plus, homeowners in several markets spent 25% more than the national median, at $30,000. Those markets include:
However, the median spend is higher than that national figure in 22 of the top MSAs. In San Francisco, it’s $50,000, more than double the national number. San Jose, California, comes in second at $40,000 for median home renovation spend. Memphis, Tennessee ($38,900); Seattle, Washington ($36,000) and Los Angeles, California ($35,000), follow closely behind.
Plus, homeowners in several markets spent 25% more than the national median, at $30,000. Those markets include:
- Miami, Florida
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- New York, New York
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- San Diego, California
- Tampa, Florida
Cash Is King, Led by Pittsburgh: Nationwide, 83% of homeowners use cash from savings to finance their renovations, and homeowners in most MSAs fall within 1 to 4 percentage points above or below that figure. Those in Pittsburgh are most likely to finance their projects with cash (93%), followed by San Jose (90%) and Sacramento, California (89%).
Meanwhile, those in Florida’s top metros are least likely to use cash, including Orlando (73%), Miami (75%) and Tampa (77%).
Coming in a distant second nationwide for financing is the use of credit cards (general, not store-specific), with the national average at 32%. Renovating homeowners in Cleveland, Ohio, are most likely to use credit cards (40%), while those in Indianapolis, Indiana, are least likely (20%).
Meanwhile, those in Florida’s top metros are least likely to use cash, including Orlando (73%), Miami (75%) and Tampa (77%).
Coming in a distant second nationwide for financing is the use of credit cards (general, not store-specific), with the national average at 32%. Renovating homeowners in Cleveland, Ohio, are most likely to use credit cards (40%), while those in Indianapolis, Indiana, are least likely (20%).
Angelinos Are Most Likely to Go Over Budget: Across the U.S., an average of 39% of homeowners spend more than they budgeted on their renovation projects. Those in Los Angeles (52%); San Jose (51%); and Portland, Oregon (50%), and are the most likely to exceed their budgets.
Nationwide, the top three reasons for going over budget are:
Nationwide, the top three reasons for going over budget are:
- Products or services were more costly than expected.
- They decided to buy more expensive products or materials, and
- The project was more complex than expected.
San Diego and Pittsburgh Homeowners Most Likely to Stay Put: While 50% of homeowners nationwide on average have no plans to move out of their remodeled residence, or plan to move out after 20 or more years, the share by MSA varies. The top 10 MSAs with homeowners planning to stay put are:
- Pittsburgh (60%)
- San Diego (60%)
- Virginia Beach, North Carolina (58%)
- Los Angeles (57%)
- St. Louis (55%)
- Tampa (54%)
- Las Vegas, Nevada (53%)
- Seattle (53%)
- Providence, Rhode Island (52%)
- San Antonio, Texas (51%)
- Nashville, Tennessee (32%)
- Austin, Texas (31%)
- Houston, Texas (31%)
Remodeling a Recently Purchased Home Drives Projects in 5 MSAs: Nationwide, top motivations for renovating are finally having the time (39%) and finally having the money (36%). However, in the MSAs below, the second-most-popular motivator among renovating homeowners is that they purchased the home or moved in recently and want to customize it.
- Las Vegas (42%)
- Charlotte, North Carolina (36%)
- Indianapolis (35%)
- Jacksonville, Florida (33%)
- San Antonio (28%)
Types of Pros Hired Most Often: The share of renovating homeowners hiring certain types of pros can vary greatly by MSA. For the top three most frequently hired pros, for example, the difference was as high as 39 percentage points – 54% of renovating homeowners in Boston hired electricians versus just 15% in Cincinnati.
The national average for hiring a contractor is 31%, yet several markets exceed this significantly. San Francisco leads the pack (54%), followed by Baltimore (50%), Los Angeles (45%), Jacksonville (44%), New York, New York (42%), and Denver, Colorado (42%).
For more data on 2024 renovation trends in the United States as a whole, download the 2024 U.S. Houzz & Home Study.
*MSAs are represented by city names in this post. Full MSA definitions can be found here.
Houzz has over 25 million photos of professionally designed interiors and exteriors, including completed kitchen and bathroom projects, and more than 3 million home remodeling and design professionals including architects, interior designers, general contractors and design-build firms. Houzz Pro provides industry professionals with a business management and marketing SaaS solution that helps them run their projects efficiently and profitably while delivering an outstanding client experience, including estimates, proposals, project management and more.
The national average for hiring a contractor is 31%, yet several markets exceed this significantly. San Francisco leads the pack (54%), followed by Baltimore (50%), Los Angeles (45%), Jacksonville (44%), New York, New York (42%), and Denver, Colorado (42%).
For more data on 2024 renovation trends in the United States as a whole, download the 2024 U.S. Houzz & Home Study.
*MSAs are represented by city names in this post. Full MSA definitions can be found here.
Houzz has over 25 million photos of professionally designed interiors and exteriors, including completed kitchen and bathroom projects, and more than 3 million home remodeling and design professionals including architects, interior designers, general contractors and design-build firms. Houzz Pro provides industry professionals with a business management and marketing SaaS solution that helps them run their projects efficiently and profitably while delivering an outstanding client experience, including estimates, proposals, project management and more.
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