HomeAdvisor recently compiled a report of Google Trends data to get a feel for what's trending in home improvement.
In case you missed the article, here are some of the highlights:
- Home improvement spending hit $303 billion in 2014.
- Addition/remodeling is the #1 project in most of the United States.
- 44% of snow removal requests came from the Northeast -- Massachusetts, New York and Illinois in particular.
- Synthetic grass installation requests increased 500% last year as a result of California's drought.
Here's what surprised us most about the data:
#1 The "Cleanest" States
According to the Google Trends data, Texas, Georgia and Illinois are the cleanest cities in the United States -- they requested cleaning services the most as compared to any other states. The reason they're the "cleanest" states is somewhat unclear. Maybe people in Texas need to keep their houses clean because of the humid climate and all the dust. Maybe there's a lot of foot traffic in Illinois, or the busy people there simply don't have time to keep their homes clean. It's an open-ended question -- what do you think?
#2 The "Cleanest" Countries
As of 2015, the United States ranks #6 in the list for "cleaning services" on Google Trends. South Africa is #1, with the United Arab Emirates and Singapore ranking #2 and #3, respectively.
#3 Windows are the Top Task in Wyoming and Only in Wyoming
Google Trends data, coupled with requests HomeAdvisor received for 2015, indicate that this is the top task in Wyoming. So, apparently, Wyoming homeowners needed a lot of new windows this year. Are there any Wyoming homeowners who could tell us more about the reason why?
#4 Snow Removal is the Top Task in Massachusetts
Although New York and Illinois comprised part of the snow removal requests last year in the U.S., most of the requests came from Massachusetts. This is also where most of the
centered last year, leading to the significant increase in requests around the Boston.
#5 Home Remodeling Isn't as Popular in the West as it is in the East
According to the data, the top five states for home remodeling -- Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and Minnesota -- are all on the eastern side of the United States. Why is that? Well this data is based on Google Trends' 2015 search data, and according to the search data for "home remodeling," regional interest is focused in these five states.
#6 Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling are the Most Popular Projects in the United States
Since home remodeling is a broad term, we've broken it down a little more.
According to Google Trends, kitchen remodeling is popular in these states:
These states have the most interest in bathroom remodeling:
As you can see, there's a more even spread between the East and West for these two topics as compared to the broader term "home remodeling."
#7 Different Flooring Tops the List in Arizona, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Ohio
This is harder to nail down, other than to say different parts of the state probably prefer different types of flooring. For example, trend data in Florida shows a preference for tile, wood, stone and bamboo flooring. Since it's such a large state, there are probably different areas in which these flooring types yield significant value. That's just a guess though -- what are your thoughts?
#8 Artificial Grass is #1 in California This Year; Historically it's Been #3
According to Google Trends, California ranked #1 this year for the search term "artificial grass," #1 for "artificial lawn" and #2 for "synthetic grass." Stats also show that requests increased 500% for synthentic grass installation due to the drought. Historically though, California has ranked #3 for "artificial grass" in Google Trends -- probably because homeowners haven't needed synthetic grass up until the last couple of years. Hopefully, the drought ends soon and California residents can go back to enjoying real grass.
What do you think?
We were surprised by some of the data uncovered in Google Trends. Did anything pique your curiosity? It's always good to get another perspective on data, and we'd love to hear your thoughts!