Hammer Time: 2025’s Best Cities for Tackling Home Improvements

Homeowner and contractor looking over remodeling documents

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 the 498 biggest U.S. 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.

Explore our ranking (by large, midsize, and small cities) below. To learn how we ranked the cities, see our methodology.

Quick Stats

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.
Builders Paradise: Southern California and New Jersey dominate Builder Access, with Norwalk, California (No. 1 midsize) and South Gate (No. 1 small), leading their respective rankings. Jersey City (No. 2 large) and Newark, New Jersey (No. 6 large), solidify the Garden State’s presence, while Miami (No. 1 large) and Irving, Texas (No. 8 large), bring competition from other regions.
Stocked and Ready: Miami (No. 1 large) boasts the best supply access, with San Francisco (No. 4 large) and Louisville, Kentucky (No. 75 large), following close behind. Smaller cities like Doral, Florida (No. 15 small) and Clifton, New Jersey (No. 9 small), also offer strong supplier networks, ensuring homeowners have the materials they need to tackle DIY renovations.

The Leaderboard

See how each city fared in our ranking:

Use the tabs above the table to switch between large, midsize, and small cities for fair comparisons.

City Size Definitions:

Large: 250,000+ population
Midsize: 100,000 to 249,000 population
Small: Under 100,000 population

The Best Cities for Tackling Home Improvements

Griffith Observatory and the skyline of Los Angeles at dusk. — **No. 3 Small City Rank:** Tustin, California | **Overall score:** 51.43

**Builder Access Rank – Small Cities:** 6
**Supply Access Rank – Small Cities:** 15
**Designer and Engineer Access Rank – Small Cities:** 5
**Cost and Cost Inflators Rank – Small Cities:** 31

Photo credit: susanne2688 | Adobe Stock | License

View of the Miami skyline from the water — **No. 1 Large City Rank:** Miami, Florida | **Overall score:** 40.76

**Builder Access Rank – Large Cities:** 7
**Supply Access Rank – Large Cities:** 1
**Designer and Engineer Access Rank – Large Cities:** 13
**Cost and Cost Inflators Rank – Large Cities:** 21

Photo credit: Tory Brown | Pexels | License

Jersey City from Battery Park — **No. 2 Large City Rank:** Jersey City, New Jersey | **Overall score:** 39.42

**Builder Access Rank – Large Cities:** 1
**Supply Access Rank – Large Cities:** 3
**Designer and Engineer Access Rank – Large Cities:** 1
**Cost and Cost Inflators Rank – Large Cities:** 6

Photo credit: Gorup de Besanez | Wikimedia Commons | License

View of W. H. Spurgeon Building in Santa Ana, California — **No. 3 Large City Rank:** Santa Ana, California | **Overall score:** 33.18

**Builder Access Rank – Large Cities:** 3
**Supply Access Rank – Large Cities:** 4
**Designer and Engineer Access Rank – Large Cities:** 3
**Cost and Cost Inflators Rank – Large Cities:** 56

Photo Credit: Cbl62 | Wikimedia Commons | License

Aerial view of Norwalk, California — **No. 1 Midsize City Rank:** Norwalk, California | **Overall score:** 42.98

**Builder Access Rank – Midsize Cities:** 1
**Supply Access Rank – Midsize Cities:** 30
**Designer and Engineer Access Rank – Midsize Cities:** 43
**Cost and Cost Inflators Rank – Midsize Cities:** 143

Photo credit: Matt Gush | Adobe Stock | License

Aerial view approaching LAX — **No. 2 Midsize City Rank:** Inglewood, California | **Overall score:** 42.88

**Builder Access Rank – Midsize Cities:** 3
**Supply Access Rank – Midsize Cities:** 28
**Designer and Engineer Access Rank – Midsize Cities:** 1
**Cost and Cost Inflators Rank – Midsize Cities:** 211

Photo credit: Thomas Tunsch | Wikimedia Commons | License

Orange Hills in Orange, California — **No. 3 Midsize City Rank:** Orange, California | **Overall score:** 42.88

**Builder Access Rank – Midsize Cities:** 6
**Supply Access Rank – Midsize Cities:** 8
**Designer and Engineer Access Rank – Midsize Cities:** 7
**Cost and Cost Inflators Rank – Midsize Cities:** 46

Photo credit: Toksave | Wikimedia Commons | License

Aerial view of residential neighborhood in South Gate, California — **No. 1 Small City Rank:** South Gate, California | **Overall score:** 55.3

**Builder Access Rank – Small Cities:** 1
**Supply Access Rank – Small Cities:** 13
**Designer and Engineer Access Rank – Small Cities:** 1
**Cost and Cost Inflators Rank – Small Cities:** 136

Photo credit: Matt Gush | Adobe Stock | License

View of Buena Park, California sign among palm trees — **No. 2 Small City Rank:** Buena Park, California | **Overall score:** 52.03

**Builder Access Rank – Small Cities:** 2
**Supply Access Rank – Small Cities:** 8
**Designer and Engineer Access Rank – Small Cities:** 26
**Cost and Cost Inflators Rank – Small Cities:** 44

Photo credit: Sony 1992 | Wikimedia Commons | License

Big-City Builders: In the large city ranking, California dominates the top 10 with 4 cities, while Texas secures a spot with Irving (No. 8) and follows up with Austin (No. 19) and Dallas (No. 24). Miami claims No. 1, boasting the best supply access with a wealth of hardware, flooring, and paint suppliers — all while maintaining relatively low costs.
Midsize Makeover: California also dominates the midsize city ranking, claiming 22 of the top 50 spots. Norwalk (No. 1) leads the way with the best builder access, ranking high for contractor availability across multiple trades, including electricians, roofers, and landscapers.
Cost vs. Convenience: While Norwalk (No. 1) excels in builder access, it falls in the bottom half for affordability among midsize cities. Frisco, Texas (No. 59) and Santa Clara, California (No. 16), offer the lowest costs for home improvement projects among cities of similar sizes.
Blueprint for Success: South Gate (No. 1) and Buena Park, California (No. 2), stand out for their dense network of builders, designers, and engineers. Unexpectedly, cities like Clifton, New Jersey (No. 9), Flower Mound, Texas (No. 43), and Plymouth, Minnesota (No. 37), crack the top 50, proving that access to skilled professionals isn’t just a big-city advantage.
Affordable Upgrades: Redwood City (No. 17), Mountain View (No. 26), and Newport Beach (No. 30), are California’s most affordable small cities for home improvements, but they offer middle-of-the-road supply access. Redmond, Washington (No. 20) and Miami Beach, Florida (No. 27), offer both budget-friendly options and easy access to home improvement resources.

The Worst Cities for Tackling Home Improvements

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. High costs further stall renovations, with Detroit among the worst for pricey architect and engineer rates relative to local wages.
Remodeling Rough Spots: Many of the lowest-ranking midsize cities, including Rockford, Illinois (No. 238), Independence, Missouri (No. 237), and Athens, Georgia (No. 236), have poor access to design professionals and builders. High costs weigh down these cities, while Kansas City, Kansas (No. 231), stands out with relatively strong supply access despite its low overall ranking.
Small-City Setbacks: Flint, Michigan (No. 170), Bloomington, Illinois (No. 143), and Fort Smith, Arkansas (No. 146), all rank near the bottom but offer a few standout qualities. Flint has stronger supply access with high concentrations of remodeling contractors and siding and paint suppliers. Bloomington benefits from relatively low residential engineering costs, while Fort Smith is among the more affordable cities for home improvements.

Behind the Ranking

First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Best Cities for Tackling Home Improvements. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into 4 categories:

Builder Access
Supply Access
Designer and Engineer Access
Cost and Cost Inflators

The categories, factors, and their weights are listed in the table below.

For each of the 500 biggest U.S. cities, we then gathered data on each factor from the sources listed below the table.

To ensure fair comparisons, we divided the cities into 3 ranking groups — large, midsize, and small — based on the NCES Locale Classifications and Criteria. Cities were categorized according to population size, allowing similar-sized cities to be evaluated against each other.

Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each city to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A city’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Best” (No. 1) and the lowest “Worst” in each ranking group: Large Cities (1-90), Midsize Cities (1-238), and Small Cities (1-170).

Note:

Large Cities: The “Worst” among individual factors may not be No. 90 due to ties.
Midsize Cities: The “Worst” among individual factors may not be No. 238 due to ties.
Small Cities: The “Worst” among individual factors may not be No. 170 due to ties.
Johns Creek, GA, and South Fulton, GA, were excluded from the ranking due to insufficient data.

Sources: BuildZoom, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Houzz, Taskrabbit, Yelp, The Real Yellow Pages, U.S. Census Bureau, Indeed, Investopedia, Homes.com, Federal Housing Finance Agency, FEMA, WorldData.info, AreaVibes, and International Association of Certified Home Inspectors

Nailed It: DIY Home Upgrades

The U.S. home improvement market is booming, with spending on renovations and repairs climbing steadily. However, rising costs for labor and materials are leaving many homeowners struggling to keep up, with 92% reporting outstanding repairs.

Home renovations are increasingly driven by necessity rather than luxury, with replacement projects like roofing, electrical work, and plumbing now making up 48% of home improvement spending. Meanwhile, discretionary upgrades, such as room additions, have dropped to under 31%.

Rising costs haven’t stopped homeowners from tackling projects themselves. DIY remodeling spending has hit over $66 billion, with demand surging for products like soft-surface flooring, electrical supplies, and lawn and garden upgrades.

With the median U.S. home now over 4 decades old and around 12% of houses built before 1940, many homeowners are taking matters into their own hands.

Looking for DIY inspiration? Explore easy and affordable ways to upgrade your home.

Refresh your space with affordable and easy-to-install peel-and-stick vinyl tiles or laminate planks.
Swap outdated lighting fixtures for modern pendant lights, install dimmer switches, or use LED strip lighting.
Give your kitchen or bathroom a facelift with peel-and-stick backsplash tiles — no grout, no mess, and minimal tools required.
Improve your home’s curb appeal with a fresh coat of paint for the front door, DIY landscaping, or modern house numbers.
Maximize space with floating shelves, over-the-door organizers, or DIY closet systems.
Upgrade to energy-efficient window treatments, apply weatherstripping, or install a smart thermostat to lower utility costs.

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.

Media Resources

Quotes for Home Gnome Editor-In-Chief Jeff Herman

California dominates the small-city home improvement scene, claiming 8 of the top 10 spots. Unfortunately, not all Golden State cities shine, with Apple Valley falling to No. 165 and Redding at No. 149.

Midwestern and industrial cities face challenges in home improvement accessibility, with Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, and Indiana frequently ranking at the bottom across all groups due to limited contractor availability and a scarcity of specialty home improvement stores and suppliers.

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. New Jersey and Massachusetts stack up especially well, with multiple cities offering a dense network of pros ready to tackle everything from kitchen upgrades to full-scale renovations.

Salt Lake City (No. 65 midsize) and Atlanta (No. 11 large) hammer out strong rankings for handyman services, offering homeowners plenty of pros for quick repairs and upgrades. Florida cities, Orlando (No. 7 large) and Miami (No. 1 large), also keep tools at the ready with some of the highest concentrations of handymen.

Chicago suburb Cicero (No. 28 small) frames itself as a standout among 8 California cities for interior designers, offering homeowners expert guidance on revamping their space.

Buffalo, New York (No. 74), lands near the bottom of the large-city ranking, struggling with poor builder access despite boasting some of the nation’s oldest homes and the lowest mortgage rates.

Main Photo Credit: Jacob Lund | Shutterstock | License

Kimberly Magerl

Kimberly Magerl is a writer and editor specializing in home improvements, lawn care, landscaping, and gardening. She enjoys growing orchids, tending to fruits and vegetables in her garden, and cooking with her home-grown herbs.

Posts by Kimberly Magerl