15 Cities Where Residents Invest the Most in Home Improvements

Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend.

Man working on home improvement project
paulaphoto / Shutterstock.com

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Construction Coverage.

Investing in home improvements varies by location due to factors such as cost of living, local economic conditions, and the housing market.

To find the locations investing the most in home improvement, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. See details on the methodology at the end.

Here are the top cities spending the most on home improvements.

1. Salt Lake City-Murray, UT

Salt Lake City, Utah homes
Jason Finn / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 24.8
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 7,530
  • Median loan amount: $85,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.75%
  • Median home price: $532,850

2. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

Houses in Denver, Colorado
welcomia / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 19.1
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 15,053
  • Median loan amount: $105,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.99%
  • Median home price: $576,604

3. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

Portland, Oregon homes
spoonphol / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 18.1
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 11,295
  • Median loan amount: $85,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.50%
  • Median home price: $542,378

4. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

Seattle house neighborhood
Frank Fell Media / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 17.8
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 17,190
  • Median loan amount: $105,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.99%
  • Median home price: $706,085

5. Raleigh-Cary, NC

Homes in Raleigh, North Carolina
zimmytws / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 17.2
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 6,533
  • Median loan amount: $85,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.00%
  • Median home price: $435,447$435,447

6. Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI

Grand Rapids Michigan homes houses
Fsendek / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 16.6
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 4,976
  • Median loan amount: $55,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.75%
  • Median home price: $311,514

7. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

Milwaukee homes
Henryk Sadura / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 16.3
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 6,416
  • Median loan amount: $55,000
  • Median interest rate: 2.99%
  • Median home price: $331,904

8. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

Homes in Providence, Rhode Island
James Andrews1 / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 15.6
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 6,649
  • Median loan amount: $85,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.38%
  • Median home price: $453,165

9. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

San Diego
bonandbon / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 15.1
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 9,640
  • Median loan amount: $125,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.75%
  • Median home price: $887,962

10. Columbus, OH

Historic homes in Columbus, Ohio
Karen and Scott Wightwick / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 14.3
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 7,592
  • Median loan amount: $75,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.97%
  • Median home price: $303,430

11. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

Boston, Massachusetts
Sunny Chanruangvanich / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 14.3
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 17,107
  • Median loan amount: $105,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.49%
  • Median home price: $657,049

12. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

Homes in Phoenix, Arizona
You Touch Pix of EuToch / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 14.3
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 18,004
  • Median loan amount: $105,000
  • Median interest rate: 5.25%
  • Median home price: $448,597

13. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

Charlotte, North Carolina
Jon Bilous / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 13.0
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 9,310
  • Median loan amount: $85,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.30%
  • Median home price: $371,406

14. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA

Home in Sacramento, California
Victoria Ditkovsky / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 12.2
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 6,805
  • Median loan amount: $105,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.99%
  • Median home price: $565,904

15. Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh homes
Steve Heap / Shutterstock.com
  • Home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households: 12.2
  • Total annual home improvement loans: 8,761
  • Median loan amount: $55,000
  • Median interest rate: 4.50%
  • Median home price: $208,351

Methodology

Business analyst woman working in an office on a computer and analyzing data
Undrey / Shutterstock.com

To find the locations investing the most in home improvement, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed the latest data from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council’s “2022 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act,” the U.S. Census Bureau’s “2022 American Community Survey,” and Zillow’s “Zillow Home Value Index.”

The researchers ranked metros according to the number of home improvement loans per 1,000 owner-occupied households.

In the event of a tie, the metro with the larger number of total annual home improvement loans was ranked higher. Researchers also calculated the median loan amount, median interest rate, and median home price.

Only conventional, single-family home improvement loans that were originated in 2022 were considered in the analysis. To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 residents and all available data were included in the analysis.

Get smarter with your money!

Want the best money-news and tips to help you make more and spend less? Then sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter to receive daily updates of personal finance news and advice, delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for our free newsletter today.