$859B, $611B, $603B: three real numbers for a market with no single size
Ask how big the U.S. home-improvement market is and you'll get three confident, correctly sourced answers: the Census Bureau's $859 billion, Harvard's $611 billion, and NAR/NARI's $603 billion. None of them is wrong. Census bundles new construction in with improvements and includes rental property; JCHS counts only improvement and repair spending on owner-occupied homes; NAR/NARI won't fully disclose what its number covers. Know which universe you're quoting before you quote it.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Projected U.S. spending on home improvements and repairs (JCHS LIRA forecast) Total demand is still growing, just barely — plan for a flat-to-slightly-up remodeling market over the next year rather than a boom or a bust. LIRA counts only maintenance and improvement spending on owner-occupied homes — it excludes new construction and any spending on rental, vacant, or seasonal properties. This is a rolling model forecast, revised every quarter, not a measured actual. Verbatim from the sourceGrowth in remodeling permitting and retail spending on building products have flattened recently, suggesting that renovation activity is cooling. Our forecast suggests this will lead to a third straight quarter of decelerating year-over-year growth, with spending projected to be $519 billion through mid-2027. Checked 2026-09-09 · opened by hand — the publisher blocks scripts | $519 billionUSD billions, annualized | Forecast for mid-2027, released July 23, 2026 | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) — Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) | |
Projected year-over-year growth in home-improvement and repair spending Real, inflation-adjusted remodeling demand may be flat or shrinking even while the dollar total keeps rising — don't read growth headlines as more work per contractor. This is nominal growth, not adjusted for inflation, and it covers the same owner-occupied-only universe as the LIRA total above — no rentals, no new construction. JCHS's own May 2026 release described a comparable growth rate as "positive in nominal terms but ... less than overall inflation." Verbatim from the sourceYear-over-year growth in renovation and repair spending is expected to slow to just 0.5 percent in the second quarter of 2027. Checked 2026-09-09 · opened by hand — the publisher blocks scripts | 0.5%percent, year-over-year | Q2 2027 forecast, released July 23, 2026 | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) — Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) | |
Actual (not forecast) U.S. home improvement and repair spending, 2019 vs. 2022 The post-pandemic remodeling boom was real and durable, not a blip — budget for a market that reset roughly 50% above 2019 levels rather than one that will fall back. Owner-occupied homes only, benchmarked to the biennial American Housing Survey — this excludes rental, vacant, and seasonal properties as well as any new construction. It's the historical base the quarterly LIRA forecasts above are built from. Verbatim from the sourceHome improvement and repair spending vaulted from $404 billion in 2019 to $611 billion in 2022, and is expected to remain above $600 billion through 2025. Checked 2026-09-09 · opened by hand — the publisher blocks scripts | $611 billion (2022), up from $404 billion (2019)USD billions, annual | 2019 and 2022 | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Improving America's Housing 2025 | |
Average amount an individual homeowner spent on improvements Use this as a rough per-household demand baseline: multiply by owner-occupied households in your service area for a ballpark total addressable spend, but expect actual spending to be lumpy, not evenly distributed. A per-homeowner average across every owner-occupied home, including the many that spent nothing that year — not a per-project cost, not a median, and it says nothing about rental units. Verbatim from the sourceOn average, homeowners spent almost $4,700 on improvements in 2023, nearly 9 percent above the previous market boom in 2007. Checked 2026-09-09 · opened by hand — the publisher blocks scripts | almost $4,700USD per homeowner, annual | 2023 | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Improving America's Housing 2025 | |
Share of homeowner improvement spending going to replacement projects (roofing, windows, HVAC) If you sell roofing, windows, or HVAC, you're competing for roughly half of all homeowner improvement dollars nationally — the single largest spending category by far. A share of dollars spent by owners on their own homes, not a share of project counts and not counting anything landlords spend on rental units — big-ticket replacement categories can dominate total spend without being the most frequent job type. Verbatim from the sourceHomeowners remain focused on replacement projects such as roofing, windows, and HVAC, accounting for 49 percent of improvement expenditures in 2023. Checked 2026-09-09 · opened by hand — the publisher blocks scripts | 49%percent of improvement expenditures | 2023 | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Improving America's Housing 2025 | |
National spending on disaster-related home repairs, two-year totals Disaster and storm-repair work is one of the fastest-growing segments of home services — worth a dedicated service line or messaging in disaster-prone regions. A two-year total within the same owner-occupied-only universe as the JCHS rows above, not an annual figure and not counting disaster repairs landlords make to rental property — it's a subset of the overall improvement-and-repair spending reported there. Verbatim from the sourceThe growing frequency and intensity of hazard events like hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding have increased spending for disaster repairs to $49 billion in 2022–2023, an astonishing leap from $16 billion in 2002–2003. Checked 2026-09-09 · opened by hand — the publisher blocks scripts | $49 billion (2022–2023), up from $16 billion (2002–2003)USD billions, 2-year total | 2022–2023 vs. 2002–2003 | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Improving America's Housing 2025 | |
National spending on home improvements affecting energy use Energy-efficiency angles (utility savings, rebates) are a large and growing sales argument, not a niche one — spending here has nearly quadrupled in 20 years. Covers any improvement with an effect on energy use — HVAC, insulation, windows — on owner-occupied homes only, not spending narrowly earmarked as 'green' or rebate-qualified, and not rental properties. Verbatim from the sourceIn 2023, homeowners also spent $139 billion on improvements impacting home energy use, nearly four times the amount in 2003. Checked 2026-09-09 · opened by hand — the publisher blocks scripts | $139 billionUSD billions, annual | 2023 | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Improving America's Housing 2025 | |
Estimated total U.S. spending on home remodeling projects Use this only alongside the JCHS figures above for cross-checking, not as a standalone number to cite on its own. NAR/NARI calls this an estimate without stating in this release exactly what it covers — whether it's owner-occupied only or all residential property, and whether DIY spending is included. Treat it as directional market size, not a precisely scoped figure; see disagreements for how it compares with Census and JCHS. Verbatim from the sourceAmericans spent an estimated $603 billion on home remodeling projects in 2024. Checked 2026-09-09 | $603 billionUSD billions, annual | 2024 | National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), 2025 Remodeling Impact Report | |
Top homeowner-reported satisfaction ('Joy Score') after completing specific remodeling projects Sell high-Joy-Score projects (primary suites, kitchens, roofing) on satisfaction and livability, not resale ROI — the two arguments favor different projects. A homeowner-survey satisfaction metric NAR/NARI designed itself, covering owner-occupied homes — it is not a resale-value or ROI measure, says nothing about rental property, and can diverge sharply from the cost-recovery percentage for the same project below. Verbatim from the sourcethe remodeling projects that received the highest Joy Scores – a ranking from 1 to 10 based on the happiness homeowners reported upon completion – include the addition of a primary bedroom suite (10), a kitchen upgrade (10) and new roofing (10) Checked 2026-09-09 | 10 out of 10 (primary bedroom suite, kitchen upgrade, new roofing)Joy Score, 1–10 scale | 2025 report | National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), 2025 Remodeling Impact Report | |
Estimated cost-recovery percentage for the highest-recovering remodeling projects at resale Small, cheap exterior/entry projects often 'pay for themselves' better than big interior remodels — lead with these in resale-focused pitches. Cost recovery here is NARI members' own estimate of resale value added divided by project cost, for owner-occupied homes sold on the open market — not an appraisal, not a study of actual closed sales, not rental property, and a different methodology from Zonda's Cost vs. Value figures below. Verbatim from the sourcethe remodeling projects with the highest cost recovery – as estimated by members of NARI – include a new steel front door (100%), closet renovation (83%) and new fiberglass front door (80%) Checked 2026-09-09 | 100% (new steel front door), 83% (closet renovation), 80% (new fiberglass front door)percent of project cost recovered at resale | 2025 report | National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), 2025 Remodeling Impact Report | |
National average job cost vs. resale value added, garage door replacement If you install garage doors, this is one of the strongest 'it pays for itself' pitches available in any home-service category — lead with it in resale-focused marketing. A national average across the report's tracked markets (Zonda/Verisk's XactRemodel estimating tool plus surveys of real estate professionals, 28 project types across 119 local U.S. markets), for owner-occupied homes being resold — actual cost and resale value swing a lot by region and price tier, and this excludes landlord-owned rental property entirely. Verbatim from the sourceGarage Door Replacement $4,672 $12,507 267.7 % Checked 2026-09-09 | $4,672 job cost / $12,507 value at sale (267.7% cost recouped)percent of job cost recouped at resale | 2025, 38th annual report, published September 18, 2025 | Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report | |
National average job cost vs. resale value added, steel entry door replacement A cheap, high-ROI upsell to pair with any exterior or curb-appeal project pitch. Same national-average, owner-occupied-resale caveat as the garage-door row above. Zonda's own report lists this project as 'Steel Door Replacement,' not 'entry door' — a nationwide midpoint, not a local or regional estimate, and it excludes rental property. Verbatim from the sourceSteel Door Replacement $2,435 $5,270 216.4 % Checked 2026-09-09 | $2,435 job cost / $5,270 value at sale (216.4% cost recouped)percent of job cost recouped at resale | 2025, 38th annual report, published September 18, 2025 | Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report | |
Seasonally adjusted annual rate of total private residential construction spending (new construction plus improvements combined) Use this only to sanity-check the overall residential construction cycle, not as a standalone remodeling-market figure — for improvement-only spending, use the JCHS rows above. Census's private-residential line is footnoted as including private residential improvements bundled together with new single-family and multifamily construction — this is not an improvement-only figure. It measures construction spending, not who lives in the property, so rental, investor-owned, and owner-occupied homes are all mixed into the same number. Never quote this as 'how much homeowners spend on remodeling.' Verbatim from the sourceResidential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $859.0 billion in July, 1.3 percent (±1.3 percent)* below the revised June estimate of $870.6 billion. Checked 2026-09-09 · opened by hand — the publisher blocks scripts | $859.0 billionUSD billions, seasonally adjusted annual rate | July 2026 (preliminary) | U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Construction Spending (Value of Construction Put in Place, C30) | |
Average annual household expenditure on owned dwellings (mortgage interest, property tax, insurance, and maintenance combined) Do not cite this as 'homeowners spend $9,310/year on repairs' — it overstates true per-homeowner improvement spending because it mixes in mortgage and insurance costs and is diluted across renters in the average. Averaged across ALL consumer units nationwide, including renters, who report $0 on this line — not homeowners only — and it bundles mortgage interest, property taxes, and insurance together with maintenance and repairs. Renters get their own separate 'rented dwellings' line in the same table ($5,660 in 2024); this row covers owned dwellings only, but it is not a maintenance-only figure. Verbatim from the sourceOwned dwellings 8,230 8,699 9,310 5.7* 7.0* Checked 2026-09-09 · opened by hand — the publisher blocks scripts | $9,310USD per consumer unit, annual | 2024 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys |
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Where the sources disagree
We do not pick the “right” number for you. Where two honest sources count differently, both are here, along with the reason they differ.
Why $859 billion, $611 billion, and $603 billion are all defensible answers to 'how big is the home-improvement market'
- $859.0 billion — private residential construction, SAAR (new construction plus improvements, includes rental and investor-owned property) U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Construction Spending (C30), July 2026
- $611 billion — improvement and repair spending only, owner-occupied homes only Harvard JCHS, Improving America's Housing 2025, 2022
- $603 billion — estimated total remodeling spending, universe not fully disclosed NAR/NARI, 2025 Remodeling Impact Report, 2024
Census counts residential construction spending — new single-family and multifamily building plus improvements — as one bundled 'Residential' line that includes rental and investor-owned property; it was never designed to isolate remodeling. JCHS counts improvement and repair spending only, benchmarked to the American Housing Survey, and restricts it to owner-occupied homes: no rentals, no new construction. NAR/NARI publishes one estimated topline in a homeowner-and-Realtor survey report without disclosing exactly what it does and doesn't include. Three different measurement choices produce three different numbers. None of them is a mistake, and none of them is 'the' size of the market — pick the one whose universe matches the claim you're making.
How much JCHS's own LIRA model projects homeowners will spend on improvements and repairs
- $518 billion JCHS LIRA, released Jan 26 2026 (revised Apr 15 2026), end of 2026 (forecast)
- $523 billion JCHS LIRA, released May 5 2026, early 2027 (forecast)
- $519 billion JCHS LIRA, released Jul 23 2026, mid-2027 (forecast)
Each LIRA release re-forecasts using the latest housing-market inputs (home sales, permits, CPI) for a rolling window ending about a year out, so the number moves quarter to quarter. The January 2026 release was also revised in April 2026 after JCHS found a formula error that had omitted some model inputs and overstated growth for 2025 Q4–2026 Q1. Small differences between releases reflect real forecast updates and a correction, not disagreement about a single settled figure — and every release covers the same owner-occupied-only universe as the LIRA rows above.
What did not survive checking
These are claims we went looking for and could not confirm at the source. They are not in the table — and they are listed here so you do not spend time on them either.
- Angi's 2024/2025 State of Home Spending Report average homeowner spending figures (e.g., $12,050 in 2024)
- Fetched both of Angi's own press releases (ir.angi.com and angi.com/press) directly; neither discloses a sample size or survey methodology for the headline dollar figures, which the brief requires before using an Angi/HomeAdvisor number.
- An isolated Census Bureau dollar figure for 'private residential improvements' alone, separate from new construction, in the monthly C30 release
- Checked the July 2026 C30 release (Table 1 and its footnotes) directly: Census does not publish improvements as a standalone monthly dollar figure. Footnote 2 confirms the published 'Residential' line always bundles new single-family and multifamily construction together with private residential improvements, so no improvement-only Census figure could be verified.
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey dollar figure specifically for 'maintenance and repair' spending on owned homes (separate from mortgage interest, taxes, and insurance)
- The published December 2025 CE news release (2024 data) only shows a combined 'Owned dwellings' line ($9,310); no maintenance-and-repair-only subcategory appears in that release's tables. BLS states more detailed breakdowns exist only via its online detailed tables or by request to cexinfo@bls.gov, which we could not query and verify in this session.
Methodology
Sources: Harvard JCHS's Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA, the July 2026 release) and Improving America's Housing 2025 press release for improvement-and-repair spending on owner-occupied homes; the U.S. Census Bureau's Monthly Construction Spending (C30) release for July 2026 for the combined new-construction-plus-improvements residential total; the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey news release (December 2025, covering 2024) for the 'owned dwellings' household spending line; the NAR/NARI 2025 Remodeling Impact Report for total market size, Joy Score, and cost-recovery figures; and Zonda's 38th annual Cost vs. Value Report for project-level job-cost and resale-value data.
The JCHS and Census PDFs, plus the JCHS blog and BLS's PDF endpoint, refused every automated fetch attempt (Cloudflare's bot check on jchs.harvard.edu, a 403 on bls.gov) — those seven JCHS rows plus the Census and BLS rows are marked 'verification: manual' because a person opened each one directly (via a real browser session for the Cloudflare- and BLS-blocked pages) and read the number off the page or PDF, not because the figure is in doubt.
The two Zonda rows initially failed an automated re-check because the draft quote used pipe characters to represent a table row that, on the actual PR Newswire page, renders as plain space-separated text. Re-opening the release and reading the live HTML confirmed both figures are genuinely on the page; the quotes were rewritten to match the source's actual wording exactly, with no change to either dollar figure. Angi's headline dollar figures, an isolated 'improvement-only' Census figure, and a maintenance-only BLS subcategory were all excluded because none of those numbers could be located, undisguised, on a page either publisher actually operates.
Sources
- Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Improving America's Housing 2025 5 rows
- National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), 2025 Remodeling Impact Report 3 rows
- Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) — Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) 2 rows
- Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report 2 rows
- U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Construction Spending (Value of Construction Put in Place, C30) 1 row
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys 1 row
How to cite this page
Husky Digital. How much Americans spend on home improvement, by source. Last verified September 9, 2026. https://husky-digital.com/research/home-improvement-spending/
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