What’s the difference between Home Depot shoppers and Lowe’s fans?

Americans like to do it themselves. Among those who own or rent their homes, a third (33%) are interested in DIY and home improvement and 15% say they’ll make a major home improvement in the next year (20% among those who rent or own their homes). A big part of the DIY market for supplies is split between two giant retailers. Of all Americans who are interested in home improvement, half (48%) are current customers of Home Depot or Lowe’s. Are there any differences between the customers of the two stores? Do hardcore DIY-ers lean to one or the other? And how do their brand metrics stack up over the past year?

Home depot is more popular in the West and Northeast, Lowe’s in the South

While Home Depot and Lowe’s offer similar products, there are still nuanced differences between their customer bases. For example, Home Depot is more popular in the West and Northeast, whereas Lowe’s is predominant in the south, perhaps reflecting the distribution of retail locations in the different regions.

There’s also a difference when it comes to the type of area that customers live it. City- and suburb-dwellers lean towards Home Depot while those who live in rural location tend toward Lowe’s. Perhaps related, White Americans tend to lean to Lowe’s (72% vs. 66%) whereas other racial groups are more likely to choose Home Depot.

Who’s more serious about DIY, Home Depot customers or Lowe’s? 

Lowe’s customers are slightly more likely to say they’re interested in DIY as a hobby (42% vs. 38%) and to plan to make a major home improvement in the coming year (19% vs. 15%).

When it comes down to specifics of home improvement, however, the scales tip slightly in the opposite direction. Home Depot customers are more likely to have remodeled their bathroom (10% vs. 7%) or kitchen (8% vs. 6%) in the past three months and are more likely to build an extension (4% vs. 2%) or repair masonry (8% vs. 6%) in the next three months. Home Depot customers are also more marginally likely to work in the construction industry than Lowe’s customers (5% vs. 4%).

How to the brands stack up? Slightly more Value for Home Depot, more Impression for Lowe’s 

While these audiences differ, how do the home improvement brands stack up against each other when it comes to brand metrics. The chart below shows the Value and Consideration metrics over the past year. Value is a measure of whether a brand gives good value for money, whereas Consideration measures whether people would consider buying a brand the next time they’re in the market.

Over the past five years, Lowe’s and Home Depot have remained relatively close on both metrics, with each taking the lead for short periods. In 2024, however, Home Depot showed tentative signs of pulling away from their competitor. Value scores for this brand rose from 40 to 43 in the period from January 1, 2024, to February 10, 2025. In the same period, Lowe’s Value score dropped from 40 to 38. Consideration scores seem to be heading in the same direction. On February 10, 44% of Americans said they’d consider Home Depot next time they were in the market compared to 41% for Lowe’s.

Methodology:  YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Scores are based on an average daily sample size of 3000-5000 US adults depending on the audience between the dates of January 1, 202, and February 10, 2025. Figures are based on an 12-week moving average. Learn more about BrandIndex.

YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for the US is nationally representative of the online population and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.