Bathroom Remodeling Statistics (2026): 52+ Data Points on Market Growth, Spending Trends, and Design Shifts
Introduction
U.S. homeowner spending on improvements is projected to reach $522 billion by the end of 2026 (Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, LIRA January 2026 release). Inside that figure, the bathroom has emerged as the most data-rich category in residential remodeling. The median spend on a primary bathroom climbed to $15,000 in 2025, up from $13,000 the prior year (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study), while half of all homeowners, 50%, say they plan to renovate in 2026 (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study). A midrange bath remodel now recoups 80% of its cost at resale, the strongest interior ROI in the report (Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report).
We aggregated data from Houzz Research, the National Kitchen & Bath Association, the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Zonda's Cost vs. Value Report, AARP, Grand View Research, Global Market Insights, and other primary sources to produce the figures that follow.
Key Takeaways
- $522 billion projected U.S. home remodeling spend in 2026 (Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, LIRA January 2026)
- $15,000 median spend on a primary bathroom in 2025, up from $13,000 (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study)
- 50% of U.S. homeowners plan to renovate in 2026, down from 52% (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study)
- 68% of bathroom remodelers factor special needs into their projects (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study)
- 16% of renovated bathrooms now include a wet room, up 3 points year over year (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study)
- 36% of bathroom renovations include a wellness-oriented feature (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study)
- Wood is the leading vanity color at 26%, ahead of white at 22% (Houzz, 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study)
- 84% of homeowners hire professionals for bathroom renovations (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study)
- Midrange bath remodel ROI reached 80% at resale in 2025, up 6 points (Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report)
- 75% of adults aged 50+ want to remain in their current home as they age (AARP, 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey)
1. Bathroom Remodeling Market Size and Growth
The U.S. remodeling market is finishing a multi-year plateau rather than retreating. Harvard's Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, the most authoritative U.S. forecast, sees year-over-year growth easing from 2.9% in early 2026 to 1.6% by year-end (Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, LIRA January 2026). Globally, market-research firms publish much larger headline figures, but the scope is different. They include consumer products like fixtures and faucets sold worldwide, not the U.S. remodeling-services category that JCHS tracks. The figures below should be read with that distinction in mind.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Projected U.S. home remodeling spend, end of 2026 | $522 billion | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, LIRA January 2026 |
| U.S. home remodeling spend, Q4 2025 | $514 billion | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, LIRA January 2026 |
| Projected U.S. residential remodeling market, 2030 (4.6% CAGR) | $716.18 billion | Grand View Research, U.S. Residential Remodeling Market Report |
| Global bathroom remodeling market, 2024 → 2034 (3.7% CAGR) | $398.1 billion → $574.1 billion | Global Market Insights via Research and Markets, Bathroom Remodeling Market 2025–2034 |
| Global bathroom vanities market, 2024 → 2030 (7.3% CAGR) | $43.34 billion → $65.55 billion | Grand View Research, Bathroom Vanities Market Report 2030 |
| Global bathroom accessories market, 2024 → 2030 (11.2% CAGR) | $24.60 billion → $46.23 billion | Grand View Research, Bathroom Accessories Market Report 2030 |
| Global wash basins market, 2024 → 2030 (7.0% CAGR) | $36.74 billion → $55.24 billion | Grand View Research, Wash Basins Market Report 2030 |
| Global faucets and showerheads, 2024 → 2034 | $103.1 billion → $153.7 billion | Global Market Insights via Research and Markets |
| Combined U.S. kitchen and bath industry size | $228 billion | NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report |
Note on scope: Grand View Research and GMI report figures are global and include all distribution channels (new-build, hospitality, replacement, e-commerce). The Harvard JCHS LIRA covers only U.S. owner-occupied home improvements and excludes rental units, which is one reason its dollar figure is far smaller than the global product-market totals above. For more detail on the JCHS methodology, see the Joint Center for Housing Studies LIRA page.
2. Bathroom Renovation Spending and Budgets
Spending data show a clear bifurcation. The national median for a primary bath ticked back up to $15,000 in 2025 after sliding to $13,000 in 2024, but the budgets of large remodels held steady and the 90th-percentile high-end projects continued to climb (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study; Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study). The takeaway: average bath projects are stabilizing, while well-funded remodels are still pushing upward, a pattern consistent with the broader "K-shaped" remodeling environment Marine Sargsyan, Houzz's head of economic research, has flagged in successive reports.
For homeowners specifying handmade ceramic vessel sinks or vanity-top wash basins as part of their primary-bath upgrade, the median large-bathroom budget of $25,000 (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study) generally accommodates such selections; explore options on the TerraFez bathroom sinks collection for context.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median primary bathroom spend, 2025 | $15,000 | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Median primary bathroom spend, 2024 | $13,000 | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Median guest bathroom spend, 2025 | $7,000 | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Median major bathroom remodel, 2024 | $22,000 | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Median large bathroom (100+ sq ft) remodel | $25,000 | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Major remodel of small primary bath (<100 sq ft), 2024 (+13% YoY) | $17,000 | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Top 10% of large luxury bathroom remodels start at | $70,000+ | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Planned median renovation spend, 2026 | $15,000 | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| 90th-percentile planned renovation spend, 2026 | $80,000 | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
Outlier note: 37% of homeowners exceeded their initial budgets in 2025, with 35% citing higher-end materials and 31% citing mid-project scope expansion (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study). For deeper context, see the Houzz 2026 House & Home Study summary.
3. Renovation Activity, Motivations and Triggers
Bathrooms have caught up. In 2024, the same share of homeowners, 24%, upgraded a bathroom as upgraded a kitchen, ending the kitchen's long-standing lead as the most-renovated space (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz & Home Study). The motivation mix has also shifted: only 8% of renovators cite plans to sell, while 44% describe their home as a forever home (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study). Personalization is now the dominant driver, supported by 91% of homeowners saying they will follow through on planned 2026 projects (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz Renovation Plans Report).
Personalization touches every fixture choice, from cabinet finish to sink form. With kitchen and bath upgrades now running neck-and-neck, homeowners increasingly coordinate fixture choices across both rooms, pairing primary-bath vessel sinks with prep or bar basins that share the same handmade material story; the TerraFez bar sinks collection shows handmade examples specified for wet bars, butler's pantries, and beverage stations.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Homeowners who renovated in 2025 | 54% | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Homeowners who upgraded a bathroom in 2024 | 24% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Homeowners planning to renovate in 2026 | 50% | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Homeowners committed to following through on 2026 plans | 91% | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz Renovation Plans Report |
| Homeowners describing their residence as a forever home | 44% | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Time as the top renovation trigger | 40% | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Financial readiness as a trigger | 36% | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Health or accessibility cited as a life-event trigger | 21% | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
Outlier note: 63% of homeowners expect rising material costs to be a meaningful 2026 challenge, the most-cited concern in the Renovation Plans Report (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz Renovation Plans Report). Read the full 2026 Houzz Renovation Plans Report summary.
4. Design Trends: Colors, Materials and Layout
Wood overtook white as the most popular vanity color, captured by 26% of upgrades versus 22% for white (Houzz, 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study). NKBA's professional panel reinforces the warm-neutral pivot: 96% of respondents identified neutrals as the dominant bath palette, with off-white at 58%, light brown/tan at 54%, and white trailing at 40% (NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report). At the same time, layouts are loosening: wet rooms now appear in 16% of renovated bathrooms, frameless shower glass dominates new installs at 78%, and freestanding tubs hold steady as the centerpiece of high-end remodels (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study; Houzz, 2023 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study). Handmade tile surfaces, most visibly Moroccan zellige, feature prominently in pro-cited 2025 and 2026 trend roundups; see the TerraFez zellige tile collection for examples of the format being specified.
Tile layout also factors in. Patterned and textured tiles are gaining ground according to 66% of NKBA designers, and Houzz searches for "bathroom checkerboard" more than doubled in early 2025 (NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report; Houzz, 2026 design predictions). Vessel-sink and wood-vanity pairings appear in the most-saved Houzz photos for both 2024 and 2025.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wood vanity color (No. 1) | 26% | Houzz, 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| White vanity color | 22% | Houzz, 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Renovated bathrooms with a wet room | 16% (+3 pp) | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Wet-room creators citing better space use | 50% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Frameless shower door selection | 78% | Houzz, 2023 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Floating vanity installation rate | 12% | Houzz, 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Designers naming neutrals as the dominant bath palette | 96% | NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report |
| Designers favoring sage in 2026 palettes | 64% | NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report |
| White-oak bathroom-vanity searches, year over year | +20% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Emerging Summer Trends Report |
Read the full Houzz 2025 U.S. Bathroom Trends Study summary for layout and material deep-dives.
5. Wellness and Spa-Oriented Features
The primary bathroom is now positioned as a residential wellness hub: 36% of renovations include at least one wellness-oriented feature, and a quarter of homeowners now use the space specifically for rest and relaxation (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study). NKBA's industry panel expects this to deepen: 77% predict that designs anchored to a hotel- or resort-experience reference will become standard practice (NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report). The shift parallels broader behavioral data: high-intensity wellness features like steam, saunas, cold plunges, and red-light therapy each appear in only 1–2% of renovations, indicating that the volume gains are concentrated in lighting, soaking tubs, and ambient water features rather than equipment-heavy installs.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom remodels that include a wellness feature | 36% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Homeowners using primary bath for rest and relaxation | 25% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Homeowners using primary bath for beauty and pampering | 24% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Wellness remodels including upgraded lighting | 30% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Wellness remodels including a soaking tub or spa bath | 18% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Wellness remodels including water features | 13% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Designers expecting a hotel/resort experience design framework | 77% | NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report |
| Designers naming lighting quality as a top bath consideration | 91% | NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report |
| Designers expecting smart toilets to gain share over three years | 51% | NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report |
For the methodology behind NKBA's professional sampling, see the NKBA 2026 Bath Trends Report announcement.
6. Accessibility and Aging in Place
Accessibility is now the single most defining structural shift in U.S. bathroom remodeling. Two-thirds of bathroom remodelers, 68%, incorporate special-needs features into their projects, a 4-point jump in a single year (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study). The pressure comes from demographics: 75% of adults aged 50 and older want to remain in their current home as they age, and 72% expect to add bathroom modifications such as grab bars or no-slip flooring (AARP, 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey). The market has responded. Zonda's Cost vs. Value Report shows universal-design bath remodels gained 12 ROI points to recoup 61% in 2025, the largest single-year increase in the report's interior-projects category (Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom remodelers factoring in special needs | 68% (+4 pp) | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Anticipating special needs within 5 or more years | 47% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Addressing current household needs | 31% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Focus on aging household members today | 41% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Adults 50+ who want to age in current home | 75% | AARP, 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey |
| Adults 50+ planning bathroom modifications | 72% | AARP, 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey |
| Grab bars in special-needs bath remodels | 61% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Nonslip flooring in special-needs bath remodels | 55% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Universal-design bath remodel ROI, 2025 (+12 pp YoY) | 61% | Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report |
For survey methodology and the full demographic breakdown, see AARP's 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey.
7. Who is Renovating and Who They Hire
Generational composition is shifting. Baby Boomers still lead at 54% of renovators, but their share dropped 5 points in a single year, while Gen X gained 5 points to reach 34% and Gen Z more than doubled, from 0.2% to 0.5%, to become the fastest-growing segment (Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study). Across generations, professional involvement remains nearly universal: 84% of bathroom renovators hire pros, and 91% across all renovation types do the same (Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study; Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study).
The economic case for the work has held up. Midrange bath remodels recoup 80% of cost at resale in 2025, up 6 points from 2024, the strongest interior-projects ROI in Zonda's 38th annual Cost vs. Value Report (Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Baby Boomer share of renovators, 2025 | 54% (–5 pp) | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Gen X share of renovators, 2025 | 34% (+5 pp) | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Millennial share of renovators, 2025 | 10% (+2 pp) | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Gen Z share of renovators, 2025 | 0.5% (from 0.2%) | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Gen Z renovators citing recent home purchase | 63% | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| Bathroom renovators hiring professionals | 84% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Bath renovators hiring a general contractor | 45% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Bath renovators hiring a bath remodeler | 20% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Bath renovators hiring a cabinetmaker | 16% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Midrange bath remodel ROI, 2025 (+6 pp YoY) | 80% | Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report |
For full national, regional, and metro ROI breakdowns, see the 2025 Cost vs. Value Report.
Summary: Bathroom Remodeling by the Numbers
| # | Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Projected U.S. home remodeling spend, 2026 | $522 billion | Harvard JCHS, LIRA January 2026 |
| 2 | Median primary bathroom spend, 2025 | $15,000 | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| 3 | Median guest bathroom spend, 2025 | $7,000 | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| 4 | Major bathroom remodel median, 2024 | $22,000 | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| 5 | Large bathroom (100+ sq ft) median | $25,000 | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| 6 | Homeowners planning to renovate, 2026 | 50% | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| 7 | Homeowners who upgraded a bathroom, 2024 | 24% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz & Home Study |
| 8 | Bath remodelers factoring in special needs | 68% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| 9 | Bath remodels with a wet room | 16% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| 10 | Bath remodels with a wellness feature | 36% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| 11 | Wood as the leading vanity color | 26% | Houzz, 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| 12 | Frameless shower door selection | 78% | Houzz, 2023 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| 13 | Bath renovators hiring pros | 84% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| 14 | Bath renovators hiring a general contractor | 45% | Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| 15 | Midrange bath remodel ROI at resale, 2025 | 80% | Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report |
| 16 | Universal-design bath remodel ROI, 2025 | 61% | Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report |
| 17 | Global bathroom remodeling market, 2024 → 2034 | $398.1B → $574.1B | Global Market Insights via Research and Markets |
| 18 | Adults 50+ who want to age in current home | 75% | AARP, 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey |
Methodology and Sources
This article aggregates published findings from primary research reports. For composite stats (e.g., generation-share changes), the underlying calculations come directly from the cited source rather than from author-derived combinations.
Primary sources cited:
- Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study, houzz.com (sample: 20,000+ U.S. respondents, fielded January–March 2026)
- Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz Renovation Plans Report, houzz.com (sample: 1,034 U.S. homeowners, fielded October 10–22, 2025)
- Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study, houzz.com (sample: 1,737 U.S. homeowners, published September 23, 2025)
- Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz & Home Study, houzz.com (sample: 21,889 U.S. respondents)
- Houzz, 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study, houzz.com
- Houzz, 2023 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study, houzz.com (most recent available for frameless-door specifics)
- Houzz, 2025 U.S. Houzz Emerging Summer Trends Report, houzz.com
- NKBA, 2026 Bath Trends Report, nkba.org (sample: ~700 industry experts)
- Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA), January 2026 release, jchs.harvard.edu
- Zonda, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report (38th annual), costvsvalue.com (115 U.S. markets; 28 project types)
- AARP Research, 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey, aarp.org (sample: 3,090 U.S. adults aged 18+, fielded June 17 – July 1, 2024)
- Grand View Research, Bathroom Vanities, Bathroom Accessories, Wash Basins, and U.S. Residential Remodeling market reports, grandviewresearch.com
- Global Market Insights via Research and Markets, Bathroom Remodeling Market 2025–2034, researchandmarkets.com
Sample caveats
- Houzz samples are drawn from registered users of the Houzz platform and are therefore self-selected toward homeowners actively planning, mid-renovation, or recently completed. They skew toward higher-engagement remodelers and may overstate professional-hiring and major-remodel rates relative to the U.S. owner-occupied population.
- NKBA surveys industry professionals, designers, remodelers, manufacturers, architects: with samples typically in the 500–700 range. NKBA figures reflect what the trade is specifying and forecasting, not consumer adoption rates.
- Harvard JCHS LIRA is the most authoritative U.S. remodeling-spend benchmark but covers only owner-occupied home improvement and excludes rental units, new construction, and commercial activity.
- Zonda Cost vs. Value combines real-estate-professional survey data with XactRemodel cost modeling. ROI figures are national averages and vary materially by metro and by project specification.
- Grand View Research, Global Market Insights, and Research and Markets publish forecasts that blend modeled estimates with primary surveys; their global market totals include hospitality, new construction, and replacement demand in addition to U.S. residential remodeling, which is one reason their headline figures dwarf the JCHS U.S. owner-occupied number. Cross-source scope differences are noted in Section 1.
- AARP survey data reflect attitudes and stated intentions, not completed renovations.
Last updated: April 2026. We update this article quarterly as primary-source reports are released.