The NAHB recently estimated money spent on home renovation and remodeling projects for every county in the United States. Analysts used figures from the American Housing Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD along with the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which contains county-level data. The figures were gathered from 2006 to 2010, so estimates are calculated using yearly averages during that time period. A heat map colors areas with highest levels of money spent with the darkest colors. The results show many counties where average remodeling expenditures per house top $4,000 and several even climb above $6,000.
A corresponding chart lists the 10 counties in the country with the largest amounts spent per house. The chart also details the four major input figures used by NAHB analysts: number of owner-occupied houses in the county, percentage of houses built before 1980, percentage of houses owned by married couples, and the most influential statistic—the average home value in each county. As might be expected, areas along both coasts in addition to places that are considered vacation destinations topped the list. Because some of these high-spending counties have a low house density, the NAHB also calculated total remodeling expenditures per county. Another list shows the top five counties in each geographic region using results from both breakdowns—highest average spending per house versus total amount spent by county—so builders and remodelers can compare figures. Complete reports are available to NAHB members.
