The 15 Best Cities for DIYers

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Porch.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago, living space has taken on new importance for many Americans.

From early lockdowns to lasting remote or hybrid work arrangements, people have been spending more time at home and collectively investing billions in the spaces where they live.

While the pandemic’s economic effects — including high savings rates, low interest rates, and government stimulus — helped supercharge home improvement spending, investment in such home projects was already up in recent years, alongside more than a decade of rising home prices. In 2011, after the Great Recession, inflation-adjusted spending on major residential improvements per household fell to $1,452, but that figure grew steadily to $2,398 by 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

To determine the best locations for DIYers, researchers at Porch calculated the concentration of hardware, furniture, and appliance stores (per 10,000 residents). In the event of a tie, the location with the greater total number of hardware, furniture, and appliance stores was ranked higher. To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 residents were included. The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow, and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Here are the best U.S. metropolitan areas for DIYers.

15. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.51
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 2,190
• Median home price: $649,034
• Cost of living (compared to average): +10.2%

14. Oklahoma City, OK

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.53
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 633
• Median home price: $210,799
• Cost of living (compared to average): -6.2%

13. Salt Lake City, UT

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.61
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 560
• Median home price: $602,765
• Cost of living (compared to average): -2.3%

12. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.61
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 1,139
• Median home price: $581,400
• Cost of living (compared to average): +5.7%

11. Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.63
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 881
• Median home price: $433,158
• Cost of living (compared to average): -3.0%

10. Pittsburgh, PA

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.64
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 1,079
• Median home price: $211,973
• Cost of living (compared to average): -4.3%

9. Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.68
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 564
• Median home price: $312,123
• Cost of living (compared to average): +2.9%

8. Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.70
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 503
• Median home price: $303,655
• Cost of living (compared to average): -5.3%

7. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.70
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 593
• Median home price: $236,137
• Cost of living (compared to average): -8.1%

6. Rochester, NY

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.76
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 510
• Median home price: $211,155
• Cost of living (compared to average): -1.7%

5. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.77
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 774
• Median home price: $438,168
• Cost of living (compared to average): +1.2%

4. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.86
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 9,357
• Median home price: $600,354
• Cost of living (compared to average): +15.5%

3. New Orleans-Metairie, LA

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 4.92
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 626
• Median home price: $264,185
• Cost of living (compared to average): -3.1%

2. Birmingham-Hoover, AL

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 5.12
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 557
• Median home price: $234,645
• Cost of living (compared to average): -7.4%

1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL

• Concentration of hardware, furniture & appliance stores (per 10,000 residents): 5.21
• Total number of hardware, furniture & appliance stores: 3,196
• Median home price: $430,068
• Cost of living (compared to average): +10.0%

Methodology

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistics of U.S. Businesses survey, Zillow’s Home Value Index, and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Regional Price Parities.

To determine the best locations for DIYers, researchers calculated the concentration of hardware, furniture, and appliance stores (per 10,000 residents). In the event of a tie, the location with the greater total number of hardware, furniture, and appliance stores was ranked higher. To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 residents were included.