Thrifty Thinking - Best Cities for Thrifting

 

Which cities are best for buying secondhand items? To mark National Thrift Shop Day on Aug. 17, Lawn Love ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Thrifting. We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on five categories. We looked at access to thrift stores, consignment shops, flea markets, and specialty reuse stores — like Goodwill boutiques and Habitat for Humanity ReStores — among 10 total metrics. See the 10 thriftiest (and 10 least thrifty) cities below, followed by key stats from our report.

Best Cities for Thrifting Rank City 1 New York, NY 2 Los Angeles, CA 3 Houston, TX 4 San Antonio, TX 5 Chicago, IL 6 Dallas, TX 7 San Diego, CA 8 Portland, OR 9 Jacksonville, FL 10 Austin, TX Worst Cities for Thrifting Rank City 1 Miramar, FL 2 West Valley City, UT 3 Santa Clarita, CA 4 Sunnyvale, CA 5 Elk Grove, CA 6 Springfield, MA 7 North Las Vegas, NV 8 Thornton, CO 9 Moreno Valley, CA 10 Pembroke Pines, FL

Key insights: Secondhand empire: New York shops to 1st place overall, where thrifters enjoy the highest number of both flea markets, 37, and thrift stores, 91, in our ranking — 33 more than in Houston (No. 3), with the 2nd-highest. NYC also claims the most clothing swap groups — tied with Los Angeles (No. 2). Cali consignment: Los Angeles jumps to 2nd place overall, earning less than 2 points behind New York (No. 1) and nearly 25 points ahead of our No. 3 city, Houston. The City of Angels is a top destination for clothes, especially high-end labels, boasting the most consignment shops, 301. LA also thrifts through the most estate sales and Goodwill boutiques.  Texas Triangle thrifting: For the 2nd year in a row, Houston (No. 3 overall), San Antonio (No. 4), and Austin (No. 10) thrift into our top 10, and Dallas joins them this year at No. 6. All four cities have abundant thrift stores, consignment shops, and estate sales. Houston stands out with the most Habitat for Humanity ReStores in our ranking.  Sustainable potential: Despite high Local Interest in thrifting, Colorado cities Lakewood (No. 175 overall) and Thornton (No. 193), as well as Ontario, California (No. 190), are no treasure troves for thrifters. These three cities lack secondhand shops, highlighting a demand for more thrifting options. Buying in bulk: Resellers rejoice in Houston (No. 3 overall), which boasts the most Goodwill Outlets, followed by Indianapolis (No. 14) and California cities Sacramento (No. 23) and Santa Ana (No. 42) tied for 2nd place. Goodwill Outlets and other bin stores are lucrative for those who thrift large quantities to upcycle or resell.  Selective attire: Some big cities disappoint in General Access to secondhand items despite high Local Interest. They include cities like San Francisco (No. 27), Washington (No. 48), and Boston (No. 91). SF makes up for it with the 8th-highest number of consignment shops and plentiful clothing swap groups.   Helpful links: See where your city ranks Full study article Expert insights Methodology Hire a local Lawn Love pro to heighten your curb appeal and freshen up your outdoor living space. Then, use secondhand items from flea markets, Habitat for Humanity ReStores, and other thrift shops to complete the look.   More from Lawn Love: Best Cities for Local Flowers Best Cities for Book Lovers Best Cities for Tackling Home Improvements Most Expensive Metro Areas for Renters Best Cities for Farmers Markets Best Cities for Self-Sustaining Homes Best States for Green Burials