With the presidential election heating up, there is plenty of discussion exploring the differences between predominantly Republican and predominantly Democratic states. A recent report from porch.com [1] reveals that there are also some surprising variations when it comes to home improvement trends between Red and Blue States.
One major finding from the data is that “fencing contractors were 53% more popular in the Red states,” and improvements on outdoor features were 38% more in demand in those regions than in Democrat-leaning states.
In Blue States, some of the more trendy home improvements involved fire and chimney maintenance, architecture, design, and painting. Services requiring pavement contractors, such as new driveways, were 35.7% more popular than they were in states that tend to vote Republican.
The study also showed that Democrat-leaning states are more than four times more likely to use solar power in their homes than in Red States. Among the Blue States that use the most solar power are Hawaii, California, and Nevada. Each of these states had over 50% of their homes using solar power.
There is somewhat of a trend in terms of color preferences in Republican- and Democrat-leaning states as well. Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania were all found to be especially in higher demand for painting their homes with colors on the red spectrum. Colorado, however, was one blue state where red paint was found to be particularly trendy.
Red States were found to be more affordable, as “19 of the 20 states with cheapest average house price voted Republican in the last election.” Among Republican states, the report showed that West Virginia was the most affordable, with an average home cost of $107,762. Mississippi was also found to be one of the most cost-efficient states with homes costing slightly more than $127,000.
Americans across the political spectrum seem to be demanding more open floorplans. In 2019, nearly 65% of newly built homes included plans with an open kitchen-family area.