Home Remodeling Statistics & Trends(2026 Data)

Remodeling is one of the largest consumer markets in America, and it keeps growing even when home sales slow down. This page collects the most useful, verifiable statistics on the US remodeling market in one place: how big it is, what homeowners actually spend, which projects they choose, and why an aging housing stock keeps demand strong.

I run a remodeling company in Kansas City, so I read these reports for a living. Every figure below is attributed inline and linked in the Sources section at the bottom. If you're a journalist, researcher, or blogger, you're welcome to cite this page; we simply ask for a link back.

How Big Is the US Remodeling Market?

According to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) Improving America's Housing 2025 report, spending on home improvements and repairs vaulted from $404 billion in 2019 to $611 billion in 2022 and has remained above $600 billion since, roughly 50 percent above pre-pandemic levels. Improvements to owner-occupied homes alone reached $405 billion in 2023, up 54 percent from 2019 (29 percent after inflation), with owner maintenance spending adding another $105 billion.

Looking forward, the January 2026 release of Harvard's Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) projects homeowner improvement and repair spending of roughly $518 billion for 2026, with year-over-year growth of about 2.1 percent at mid-year easing to 1.6 percent by year end. The October 2025 LIRA had already flagged record-setting spending of about $524 billion headed into early 2026.

The industry itself has grown to match. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) counted 128,000 remodeling firms at the start of 2025, up from 69,000 in 2000, and reports that home improvement's share of total residential construction spending climbed from 33 percent in 2007 to 44 percent in the first quarter of 2025. NAHB forecasts inflation-adjusted remodeling growth of 3 percent in 2026 and 2 percent in 2027, and its Remodeling Market Index has held above the break-even reading of 50 for 24 consecutive quarters.

What Homeowners Actually Spend

Averages depend on who you count. Across all US homeowners, whether or not they remodeled, per-owner improvement spending averaged $4,700 in 2023, with maintenance spending hitting a record $1,200 per owner, according to Harvard JCHS. Among homeowners who actually took on projects, the numbers are much higher:

The 2025 US Houzz & Home study found the median renovation spend dipped to $20,000 in 2024 from its 2023 peak of $24,000, while Angi's 2024 State of Home Spending report showed average project spending easing 12 percent to $12,050, led by a pullback in maintenance spending. Both surveys agree the commitment is intact: Angi found 93 percent of homeowners planned projects in 2025, and boomers led all generations at $14,140 in average 2024 spending.

Most Popular Remodeling Projects

By room, kitchens and bathrooms tie as the most popular renovations, each undertaken by 24 percent of renovating homeowners per the 2025 Houzz & Home study. Houzz put the median 2024 kitchen renovation at $22,000 and the median primary bathroom at $13,000. (For local pricing, see our Kansas City kitchen remodel cost guide and bathroom remodel cost guide.)

By dollars, the picture is less glamorous: replacement projects such as roofing, windows, and HVAC accounted for 49 percent of homeowner improvement spending in 2023, according to Harvard JCHS. Necessity, not Pinterest, drives about half the market. Looking ahead, Angi found the most-planned 2025 projects were routine maintenance (36 percent), interior painting (22 percent), and flooring installation (13 percent).

The Remodel-vs-Move Shift

Americans are staying put far longer than they used to, and that is rocket fuel for remodeling. According to Redfin, the median US homeowner had lived in their home 11.8 years as of 2024, nearly double the 6.5-year median of 2005 (tenure peaked at 13.4 years in 2020).

A big reason is the mortgage-rate lock-in effect. Redfin's Q2 2025 analysis found 80.3 percent of mortgaged US homeowners hold a rate below 6 percent, down from 92.7 percent three years earlier but still an enormous incentive to improve rather than move. NAHB draws the same conclusion: remodeling's share of residential construction spending rose from 33 percent in 2007 to 44 percent in early 2025 as owners with cheap mortgages chose to upgrade in place.

America's Aging Housing Stock

The structural driver underneath everything: US homes are old and getting older. NAHB's analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey puts the median age of owner-occupied homes at 42 years, up from 31 years in 2005. Per NAHB's Eye on Housing, nearly half of owner-occupied homes were built before 1980.

Age varies wildly by state: New York has the oldest owner-occupied stock at a median of 64 years, followed by Massachusetts and Rhode Island at 59, while fast-building Nevada (25 years) and Texas (28 years) are the youngest, per NAHB's Eye on Housing. Older homes need new roofs, wiring, kitchens, and baths, which is why an aging stock reliably translates into remodeling demand.

Labor and Cost Trends

Costs are the industry's headwind. NAHB reports building material costs have risen 41.6 percent since the pandemic, far outpacing overall inflation. Labor is just as tight: a 2025 NAHB and Home Builders Institute study estimated the skilled-labor shortage costs the industry $10.8 billion per year, including roughly 19,000 unbuilt single-family homes.

In NAHB's Remodeling Market Index surveys, remodelers report the worst shortages in finished carpentry, rough carpentry, framing crews, masonry, and concrete work. Demographics add another tailwind: 56 percent of remodelers do aging-in-place modification work, and 73 percent say requests for aging-in-place features have increased over the past five years, per NAHB.

Want to see how these dollars translate into resale value? Our companion page on remodeling ROI statistics breaks down cost-recouped percentages project by project, and our Kansas City housing and remodeling statistics page localizes the national story. If you're planning a project of your own, start with our guide on how to choose a remodeling contractor.

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