21 DIY vs. Hiring a Pro Statistics: What Americans Do, and What They Leave to Pros (2026)
The numbers behind who does it themselves, who hires out, and where DIY goes wrong, plus why so much spending now goes to vetted, licensed pros.
The do-it-yourself instinct is still strong in American homes, but the money tells a clearer story: professionally installed improvements reached a record 84.1% of what owners spent on their homes in 2023, roughly $340 billion, while DIY projects accounted for about $64 billion, according to the Harvard JCHS. The 21 verified statistics below cover who does what themselves, which jobs get handed to a pro, how often DIY goes wrong, the injury risk, and the real cost and time trade-offs. If you are weighing a project, our home services connect you with vetted pros and a free fixed-price estimate.
Key Takeaways
- Professionals now handle 84.1% of home improvement spending, a record high, versus about 16% for DIY (Harvard JCHS).
- Professional spending grew to about $340 billion in 2023, up 28% from 2021, while DIY outlays slipped 2% to roughly $64 billion (Harvard JCHS).
- Electrical is the repair homeowners feel least confident tackling (71%), followed by roofing (52%), HVAC (49%), and plumbing (46%) (American Home Shield).
- About 70% of homeowners hit problems on DIY projects, and one in four end up hiring a pro to finish the job (Angi survey).
- 46% who DIY'd had to pay a pro to fix it, at an average of about $1,600 per correction (Sears Home Services).
- Ladder falls send about 136,118 people to the ER each year, and roughly 67% of those falls happen at home (National Library of Medicine).
- 57% of homeowners would hire out a job over DIY once it passes $500, rising to 75% at $1,000 (Housecall Pro).
The DIY vs. pro spending split
1. Professionals now do 84.1% of improvement spending
Professionally installed improvements comprised an unprecedented 84.1% of what owners spent on their homes in 2023, the highest professional share on record, leaving DIY projects at roughly 16% of the total, according to the Harvard JCHS. The long-term trend is clearly toward hiring out.
2. Professional spending hit about $340 billion
Outlays on professionally installed improvements grew 28% between 2021 and 2023 to about $340 billion, a major driver of the roughly $405 billion owners spent improving their homes that year, per the Harvard JCHS.
3. DIY spending slipped to about $64 billion
Over the same stretch, DIY project spending fell 2% to roughly $64 billion, moving in the opposite direction from professional work, according to the Harvard JCHS. As project scope and material costs rise, more homeowners are choosing to hire it done right the first time.
4. Higher earners hire out far more
Spending scales with income and it tilts toward pros. Owners in the top income fifth spent nearly three times as much on DIY installations and more than four times as much on professional installations as those in the bottom fifth, per the Harvard JCHS. When budgets allow, professional work wins the larger share.
5. Most DIYers are chasing savings
The motive behind DIY is rarely craft for its own sake: about 71% of surveyed homeowners attempt DIY projects specifically to save money, according to Angi survey data. Whether that saving holds up depends heavily on the project, as the mistake numbers below show.
Projects most often left to pros
6. Electrical tops the "call a pro" list
When homeowners rank the repairs they feel least confident handling, electrical work leads at 71%, according to American Home Shield survey data. Shock and fire risk, plus permit and code requirements, keep most wiring jobs in professional hands.
7. Roofing, HVAC, and plumbing round out the list
After electrical, the repairs homeowners feel least equipped to DIY are roofing (52%), HVAC (49%), and plumbing (46%), per the same American Home Shield survey. Each carries the kind of hidden-damage or safety risk that rewards specialized experience.
8. Plumbers are the most-called professional
Among trades homeowners actually pick up the phone for, plumbers come first at 52%, ahead of electricians (27%), HVAC technicians (26%), and roofers (11%), according to American Home Shield. Water problems tend to escalate fast, which pushes homeowners to hire quickly. Our vetted pro network screens every trade for licensing and insurance.
9. Homeowners hire out once a job passes $500
Cost is a clear tipping point. About 57% of homeowners say they would hire a pro rather than DIY once a job crosses $500, and 75% would at $1,000, according to a 2026 Housecall Pro report. Bigger stakes make professional accountability worth paying for.
10. Most homes face a system repair in 2026
Demand for skilled trades is broad: 79% of homeowners plan at least one home-system repair or replacement in 2026, per the same Housecall Pro report. Aging heating, cooling, and plumbing systems are exactly the work homeowners rarely take on themselves.
Source: American Home Shield.
DIY mistakes and regret
11. About 70% of DIY jobs run into problems
DIY rarely goes perfectly. Roughly 70% of homeowners experience problems with their DIY projects, and one in four ultimately hire a professional to fix or finish the work, according to Angi survey data. The intended savings can evaporate once a redo enters the picture.
12. 46% had to pay a pro to fix a DIY mistake
In one survey, 46% of homeowners who attempted a DIY project had to call a professional to correct their mistakes, according to a Sears Home Services survey. That is nearly half of DIY attempts ending with a professional bill anyway.
13. Fixing DIY mistakes averages about $1,600
Those corrections are not cheap. Homeowners who hired a pro to fix a botched DIY job spent an average of about $1,600 to set it right, per the Sears Home Services survey. Add that to the original materials and the DIY discount can turn into a premium. For a maintenance-first approach that heads off redos, see our home maintenance statistics.
14. More than half underestimate the time
Scope creep is the norm: 57% of DIYers underestimated how long a project would take, and 50% underestimated the effort involved, according to the Sears Home Services survey. A weekend job that stretches into weeks is a common regret.
15. Failed repairs cause about $599 in damage
Even homeowners who try to fix things first can make them worse. About 17% of DIYers caused damage while attempting a repair, at an average of roughly $599, according to American Home Shield. A wrong move on plumbing or wiring can cost more than the original repair would have.
Source: Sears Home Services.
Safety and injuries
16. Ladder falls send 136,118 people to the ER a year
Height is where DIY gets dangerous. Falls from ladders account for an average of 136,118 emergency department visits per year in the US, based on a longitudinal study published in the National Library of Medicine. Roof, gutter, and exterior work drive much of that risk.
17. That is 49.5 ER visits per 100,000 people
Scaled to population, ladder falls translate to about 49.5 emergency department visits per 100,000 people each year, per the same National Library of Medicine study. It is a common enough injury that safety, not just skill, argues for hiring out height work.
18. About 67% of ladder falls happen at home
These are not mostly job-site accidents: roughly 67% of ladder falls occur at home, versus about 9% at work, according to the National Library of Medicine study. Insured pros carry their own coverage and the right equipment for elevated work.
Cost and time trade-offs
19. 59% put off repairs because of cost
Budget pressure shapes what gets done at all: 59% of homeowners have put off necessary repairs due to cost, according to American Home Shield. Delayed maintenance is exactly what turns a small fix into a large one.
20. A third cannot cover a $1,000 emergency repair
The cushion is thin for many households: 33% of homeowners say they cannot afford an emergency repair over $1,000, per American Home Shield. A fixed-price quote up front helps homeowners avoid the surprise-bill spiral.
21. Half expect to spend $3,000 or more in 2026
Home projects remain a major line item: 50% of homeowners expect to spend more than $3,000 on home projects in 2026, and 33% expect to spend more than $7,500, according to a 2026 Housecall Pro report. At that scale, getting the work done right the first time matters more than a DIY discount.
What this means for homeowners
- The market has voted with its wallet. Professionals now handle 84.1% of home improvement spending, and the professional share keeps rising while DIY dollars fall.
- Some jobs are not really DIY candidates. Electrical, roofing, HVAC, and plumbing are the repairs homeowners themselves feel least confident doing, and they carry the most code, fire, and water-damage risk.
- DIY savings are fragile. With about 70% of DIY jobs hitting problems and nearly half needing a paid fix averaging $1,600, a redo can cost more than hiring a pro would have.
- Safety is part of the math. Ladder falls alone send more than 136,000 people to the ER a year, most of them at home, so height and hazard work belong with insured pros.
- Pro House Maintenance matches you with vetted, licensed and insured pros and gives free fixed-price estimates so you know the number before work starts. See where we work on our service areas page and request an estimate when you are ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do more homeowners DIY or hire a professional?
By dollars spent, professionals now dominate. Professionally installed improvements made up a record 84.1% of owner improvement spending in 2023, about $340 billion, while DIY accounted for roughly $64 billion, per the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Plenty of homeowners still tackle small jobs, but the money, and the larger projects, increasingly go to hired pros.
Which home projects should I never DIY?
Homeowners themselves feel least confident with electrical (71%), roofing (52%), HVAC (49%), and plumbing (46%) repairs, according to American Home Shield survey data. These trades carry code, permit, fire, and water-damage risk, so they are the projects most worth handing to a vetted, licensed and insured pro. Pro House Maintenance gives free fixed-price estimates on exactly this kind of work.
How often do DIY projects go wrong?
Often enough that fixing them is a category of its own. About 70% of homeowners hit problems with a DIY project and one in four end up hiring a pro to finish it, per Angi survey data, while 46% who attempted a DIY job had to pay a professional to correct mistakes at an average of about $1,600, according to a Sears Home Services survey.
Is DIY home improvement dangerous?
It can be. Falls from ladders alone send an average of 136,118 people to US emergency departments every year, and about 67% of those falls happen at home, according to a study in the National Library of Medicine. Roofing, electrical, and height work carry real injury risk, which is one reason many homeowners hand them to insured professionals.
When is it worth paying a pro instead of doing it myself?
Cost and complexity are the usual tipping points. About 57% of homeowners say they would hire out a job they might otherwise DIY once it passes $500, rising to 75% at $1,000, per a 2026 Housecall Pro report. Weigh the price of a redo, the value of your time, and the safety risk. Pro House Maintenance matches you with vetted, licensed and insured pros and quotes a fixed price up front.