According to a new study by Scarborough Research, an average of 49 percent of adults in 75 cities nationwide made any home improvements in the past 12 months. The survey results indicate that consumers in smaller markets may be more likely to spend money on home improvements than their mega-city counterparts.
Ranking number one among the cities surveyed is Harrisburg, Penn., where well over half (59 percent) of the residents began a home improvement project in the past year. Following closely on the lead of Harrisburg residents, 56 percent of consumers in Buffalo, N.Y. and Toledo, Ohio initiated a home improvement project.
Other markets that hammered their way into the top 10 include Detroit; Flint, MI; Atlanta; Syracuse, N.Y.; Rochester, N.Y.; Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Over half (55 percent) the residents in each of these markets have begun or completed a home improvement project.
Meanwhile, consumers in Honolulu were the least likely to get into the swing, with only 37 percent enhancing their homes in the past year, ranking their city number 75 among those in the survey. Other large metropolitan cities whose residents performed less than average work on their homes include Fresno, Calif. (40 percent); Las Vegas (40 percent); New York (48 percent); Chicago (46 percent); Miami (45 percent); Los Angeles (44 percent); Washington, D.C. (44 percent); San Francisco (43 percent); and San Diego (42 percent).