DIY participation is a substantial part of U.S. home improvement, but professional work accounts for most reported activity and spending. During the 2021–2023 American Housing Survey reference period, 51.6 million of the 86.9 million U.S. homeowners made improvements, and about 50 million of 140 million improvement projects were completed by homeowners themselves. The following statistics show the scale, cost, and changing profile of DIY work.
Table of contents
- How many homeowners participate
- DIY project volume and spending
- Typical project costs
- Projects with the most activity
- How DIY spending has changed
- DIY participation by age and context
How many homeowners participate
The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 Home Improvements Infographic covered 86.9 million U.S. homeowners for the 2021–2023 period. Within that population, 51.6 million homeowners reported making home improvements. That equals 59% of homeowners during the two-year reference period.
The Census measure covers home improvement activity rather than a narrowly defined hobby or craft. Its DIY definition is homeowner-performed work. Of the homeowners who made improvements, 14.7 million made an energy-efficiency improvement, representing 28% of improving homeowners. Other commonly reported categories included water heaters, dishwashers, or garbage disposals at 32%; HVAC work at 25%; and flooring, paneling, or ceiling-tile work at 21%.
These percentages describe homeowners who made improvements, not all 86.9 million homeowners. They also describe activity across 2021–2023, so they should not be read as a single-year participation rate.
DIY project volume and spending
Homeowners completed about 140 million improvement projects during 2021–2023, according to the Census Bureau. About 50 million were done by homeowners themselves. Do-it-yourselfers therefore accounted for 36% of the reported improvement projects, while professionals accounted for the remaining 64%.
The same Census source reports $827 billion in homeowner improvement spending and a median homeowner expenditure of $6,500. Those figures describe the full improvement market in the 2021–2023 reference period, not DIY-only spending.
The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies’ Improving America’s Housing 2025: Key Facts provides a separate 2023 view. Owner-occupied-home improvement spending reached $405 billion, averaging $4,700 per owner. The share of owners with at least one improvement project was 29.7%, or nearly 26 million households.
That JCHS source reports $64 billion in DIY project outlays and $340 billion in professionally installed improvements in 2023. The two categories are not directly comparable: DIY spending covers owner material costs, while professionally installed spending includes labor, materials, profit, and overhead. The different Census and JCHS measures also use different periods and definitions, so their totals should be treated as complementary views rather than combined.
| Measure | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeowners making improvements | 51.6 million | 2021–2023 | Census Bureau |
| Reported improvement projects | 140 million | 2021–2023 | Census Bureau |
| DIY project share | 36% | 2021–2023 | Census Bureau |
| DIY project outlays | $64 billion | 2023 | JCHS |
| Professionally installed improvements | $340 billion | 2023 | JCHS |
Typical project costs
The Census Bureau reports median spending by improvement category for 2021–2023. The lowest listed median was $400 for a security-system project, followed by $500 for plumbing fixtures. A water-heater, dishwasher, or garbage-disposal project had a median reported spending of $800.
Electrical wiring or fuse-box work had a median of $1,000. Median spending rose to $2,800 for doors or windows, $2,900 for driveways or walkways, and $3,000 for flooring, paneling, or ceiling tiles. These category medians include reported project spending; they do not establish what a typical homeowner personally paid for labor, materials, or both.
Larger categories had higher median reported spending. An attached garage or carport had a median of $4,600, while a porch, deck, patio, or terrace had a median of $4,800. Bathroom remodels had a median of $5,000, HVAC work $5,500, kitchen remodels $8,000, and roofing $10,000.
| Improvement category | Median reported spending, 2021–2023 |
|---|---|
| Security system | $400 |
| Plumbing fixtures | $500 |
| Water heater, dishwasher, or garbage disposal | $800 |
| Electrical wiring or fuse boxes | $1,000 |
| Doors or windows | $2,800 |
| Driveways or walkways | $2,900 |
| Flooring, paneling, or ceiling tiles | $3,000 |
| Bathroom remodel | $5,000 |
| Kitchen remodel | $8,000 |
| Roofing | $10,000 |
Projects with the most activity
The largest project categories show where improvement demand is concentrated, although the available totals do not identify the DIY share within each individual category. Roofing represented 8.3 million reported projects and $93.5 billion in expenditures during 2021–2023. Kitchen remodels represented 5.0 million projects and $83.1 billion.
HVAC work had 12.8 million projects and $82.4 billion in expenditures. Bathroom remodels had 7.5 million projects and $68.9 billion. Flooring, paneling, or ceiling tiles accounted for 10.9 million projects and $51.0 billion, while doors and windows accounted for 7.9 million projects and $45.2 billion.
Outdoor categories also represented meaningful activity. Porches, decks, patios, or terraces accounted for 3.9 million projects and $32.8 billion. Landscaping or sprinkler systems accounted for 7.0 million projects and $26.6 billion. Driveways or walkways accounted for 4.6 million projects and $20.9 billion.
The JCHS 2023 classification gives additional context for the purpose of projects. Need-to-do replacement projects accounted for 49% of aggregate homeowner improvement expenditures. Discretionary projects, including kitchen and bath remodels and room additions, accounted for 30%. Outside-property projects, such as fencing, sheds, and recreational structures, accounted for 15%, while disaster repairs accounted for 6%.
How DIY spending has changed
Historical figures from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies show that DIY’s share of home-improvement spending has fluctuated rather than moved steadily upward. The share was 23.8% in 1995 and reached 26.9% in 2003. It then fell to 17.5% in 2013, recovered to 19.9% in 2021, and declined to 15.9% in 2023, the lowest share in the series.
The JCHS analysis, Home Improvement Spending Has Shifted Away from DIY, reports real DIY spending in 2023 dollars. Real DIY spending peaked at $74.2 billion in 2021 before falling to $64.5 billion in 2023. It bottomed at $44.0 billion in 2011.
From 2021 to 2023, real spending on DIY projects fell 13%, while professionally installed spending rose 14%. The historical values are inflation-adjusted to 2023 dollars where the JCHS source identifies them as real spending. They should not be interpreted as nominal dollar totals from each original year.
| Year or period | DIY spending measure |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 23.8% of improvement spending |
| 2003 | 26.9% of improvement spending |
| 2013 | 17.5% of improvement spending |
| 2021 | 19.9% of improvement spending; $74.2 billion real DIY spending |
| 2023 | 15.9% of improvement spending; $64.5 billion real DIY spending |
DIY participation by age and context
DIY participation differs across homeowner age groups and project contexts. Among homeowners under age 35, the DIY share was 40.1% in 1995 and 24.1% in 2023. Among homeowners age 65 and over, the DIY share stayed between 9.2% and 14.3% during 1995–2023.
The long-term decline also varied by project purpose. The DIY share of discretionary project spending declined from 31.5% in 1995 to 19.1% in 2023. The DIY share of replacement-project spending declined from 16.5% to 13.1% over the same period.
The 2023 JCHS figures show the professional component across age groups. Owners age 65 and over devoted more than 88% of their improvement dollars to professional projects. Owners under age 35 devoted 76% of their improvement dollars to professional projects. These measures describe spending shares, not the number of projects completed.
Recent movers also showed a different DIY pattern from non-movers. Recent homebuyers devoted 20% of their improvement budgets to DIY installations in 2023, compared with 15% for non-movers. Owners who bought within the prior three years spent an average of $6,600 on improvements in 2023, compared with $4,300 for owners who had not recently moved.
Because the Census AHS figures describe homeowner-performed work and the JCHS DIY spending figures describe owner material costs, participation and spending percentages answer different questions. Together, they indicate that DIY remains a large source of project activity, while professional work carries the larger share of measured improvement spending.