House & Home - Best US Cities for Home Improvements

 

Which U.S. cities are best for tackling home improvement projects and starting fresh this season? With warmer weather just around the corner, Home Gnome ranked 2025's Best Cities for Tackling Home Improvements. We compared 498 of the biggest U.S. cities (by large, midsize, and small cities) based on four categories. We looked at the average age of homes, access to designers and contractors, and average costs, among 44 total metrics. See the 5 best (and 5 worst) cities for tackling home improvements below, followed by key takeaways. (Don’t see your city below? Check out the full ranking.)

Best Cities for Tackling Home Improvements Rank Large City Midsize City Small City 1 Miami, FL Norwalk, CA South Gate, CA 2 Jersey City, NJ Inglewood, CA Buena Park, CA 3 Santa Ana, CA Orange, CA Tustin, CA 4 San Francisco, CA Costa Mesa, CA Alhambra, CA 5 Anaheim, CA El Monte, CA Westminster, CA Worst Cities for Tackling Home Improvements Rank Large City Midsize City Small City 1 Detroit, MI Rockford, IL Flint, MI 2 Toledo, OH Independence, MO St. Joseph, MO 3 Cleveland, OH Athens, GA Scranton, PA 4 Milwaukee, WI Akron, OH Lynchburg, VA 5 Tucson, AZ Pueblo, CO Hammond, IN Key Insights Upgrade Alley: When it comes to hammering down home improvement budgets, New York (No. 12 large), Newark, New Jersey (No. 6 large), and Auburn, Alabama (No. 91 small) nail the top spots, pouring the biggest percentage of their income into upgrading their digs. Renovation Roadblocks: Detroit, Michigan (No. 90), Cleveland (No.88), and Toledo, Ohio (No. 89) rank among the worst large cities for home improvements, burdened by some of the oldest housing stock in the country. The Northeast leads the pack for residential remodeling contractors, with New Rochelle, New York (No. 10 small), Clifton, New Jersey (No. 9 small), and Newton, Massachusetts (No. 16 small) topping the list. Renovation Nation: California dominated all 3 rankings (large, midsize, and small), with 13 out of the top 15 cities hailing from the Golden State. Read the full story here: https://www.homegnome.com/blog/studies/best-cities-home-improvement/ Other helpful links: Methodology (learn how we classified each city by size) About Home Gnome: Home Gnome is where you’ll find all sorts of DIY and professional help for projects around your house, rental, or apartment. More from Home Gnome:  2025’s Most Expensive Cities to Heat a Home in Winter How to Maintain Your HVAC System How to Use a Table Saw for Beginners 2025’s Most Vulnerable Cities for House Fires How to Finish Drywall