69 Garage Stats and Facts You Might Not Know

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Here at Garage Overhaul, we focus on garages and how you can improve your own. Our research discovered many states and facts about garages that may interest you. 

We group these facts and figures into 7 major categories and then share them in this post. These categories include:

• Garage Usage and Activities
• Garage Organization And Clutter
• Garage As An Asset
• Garage Safety And Maintenance
• Garage Statistics and Facts

Garage Sizes

Here, we share a series of findings and stats about garage sizes. Generally, they have been getting bigger and bigger over the years. 

1. Garages are getting bigger. 20% of new homes are built with a large garage to accommodate three or more cars. (National Association of Home Builders)
2. In 1915, garages comprised just 8% of a house’s square footage. After 1960, that figure had increased to 45% of a home’s total square footage. (Wall Street Journal)
3. Suppose you have a 2-car garage in an average-sized home. In many cases, they usually take up 13-15% of the home’s square footage.
4. 2-car garages were the most common garage size. This is from surveying 1,500 North American respondents to a 2017 Garage Living poll. 18% had a 1-car garage, 61% had a 2-car garage, and 22% owned a 3-car garage.

What Should You Do With These Facts?

• If you intend to build a garage, build a larger one. This allows you to anticipate future demands for garage size. 
• If you want to build a smaller garage, do not go smaller than two-car sizes.
• A large garage alone may not be good enough. Consider adding features such as insulation, side doors, and wiring outlets. 
• Consider a good garage door opener system. You can also finish the flooring if you have an additional budget.

Garage Usage and Activities

We compile a series of facts and figures about garage use in the United States. Generally, Americans use garages for storage, parking, and hobbies.

However, give these facts a look, and see if any of these surprises you:

5. When purchasing a home, 80% of buyers factor in the garage when making their decision. 
6. This is taken from a 2018 Wall Street Journal survey. 74% of homeowners said parking is their garage’s most important function.
7. On average, the garage door opens and closes 3-5 times daily. This means over 1,500 times per year (about 15,000 open and closed activities annually). 
8. According to the Impulse Research Survey, 55% of Americans spend 1-2 hours weekly in the garage. Most were spent working on hobbies and other activities.
9. Many famous companies started in the garage. These companies include Apple, Amazon, Disney, Google, and Harley-Davidson.
10. In a Chamberlain Group Study, 71% of homeowners use the garage to enter their houses. This is probably because they park their car inside the garage. 
11. Wall Street Journal interviews 900-over homeowners. They found that 25% use their garage regularly for vehicle maintenance. 
12. Of 1,500 North American respondents to a Garage Living poll, 20% said they could not park in their garage. 
13. Sparefoot, a storage lister, surveyed 1,000 Americans. They found that 47% admitted to encountering parking problems in their garage. 
14. A UCLA study of 32 Los Angeles-area families found that 75% didn’t use their garages for parking.
15. 27% of people use the garage for hobbies. Others use it to work on cars (23%), do projects such as woodworking or carpentry (19%), or as an area for exercise or sports (13%).
16. There are about 82 million homes with a garage in America. That’s enough garages to provide shelter for every car made worldwide in 2013.
17. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) found that vehicles sit parked 95% of the time. These include being parked in a garage.
18. 55% of Americans spend 1-2 hours every week in the garage among hobbies and other activities. (Impulse Research survey)

What Should You Do With These Facts?

• If you want to improve your house’s selling price, you should always add a garage. If you already have one, upgrade it by making it bigger and better.
• Garage doors are being used frequently. This means you should install high-quality garage door openers. to ensure they last long. 
• People are using garages for hobbies. This means ensuring you provide spaces that could accommodate these hobbies. Racks, shelves, and workbenches are great examples. 
• A large number of Americans park their cars in the garage. This means your garage needs to have parking spaces. 

Find more statistics at Statista

Garage Organization And Clutter

This section explores some facts and figures about how Americans organize their garages. We also look at what Americans think about the clutter in their garage and how they are tackling it.

19. The garage, kitchen, and home office were named the most cluttered spaces in homes.
20. A Wall Street Journal surveyed over 900 homeowners. They found that only 70% of their garage space allows for parking.
21. 25% of homeowners with 2-car garages don’t park in them at all. A third can only park one car, mainly due to garage clutter. (US Dept. of Energy study)
22. Wall Street Journal discovered that most homeowners want to improve their garages. They think “Removing junk” can help them enjoy their garage better.
23. A survey of 1,000 Australians found that almost 50% of them had problems parking in their garages due to clutter. (Australia Institute study)
24. Moen, a top faucet brand in the US, interviews homeowners. The garage was the messiest and most disorganized home space in its survey.
25. Disorganization, instead of lack of space. Causes 80% of household clutter. (Soap and Detergent Association study)
26. The National Association of Professional Organizers commissioned a survey. They found that 50% of homeowners named the garage the most disorganized area of their house.
27. Only 11% of homeowners say they’re satisfied with their garage and wouldn’t want to improve it. (Wall Street Journal survey)
28. Self Storage Association found about 9% of American homeowners rent storage spaces. Of these people, over 65% of those homeowners have a garage.
29. More than 50% of homeowners plan on reorganizing their garage within the next two years. (Peachtree Consulting survey)

What Should You Do With These Facts?

• If you have extra time, start a business about garages. Offer services where you help people organize and clean up their garage clutter.
• You can also help to organize a massive garage sale in your neighborhood.
• If you are handy, start a business building custom cabinetry and shelvings. These should help homeowners help organize and declutter garages.
• Suppose you work as a building contractor or interior designer. In this case, start approaching prospects on projects to improve their garage. 

Garage As An Asset

This section explores how a garage is seen by many Americans as an asset. This means they see the garage as a way to enhance their home life. 

From the financial side, many also see the garage as a way to increase property value. In fact, property valuers actually factor in the garage when valuing homes.

30. Crescent Communities, an American real estate investment firm, conducted a study. They discovered that about 75% of their customers think the garage is very important.
31.  American Housing Survey published their study in 2015. They found that about 63% of all occupied housing units in the United States feature a garage or carport.
32. The American Housing Survey looked at American houses and condominiums. They found that 80% of these properties have a carport or garage.
33. Over 80% of buyers consider the garage as very important. This is during their process of purchasing a home.
34. Health Canada conducted a study about single-family homes in Canada. They found that over 50% of them have an attached garage, highlighting its prevalence.
35. Garage Living studied single-family homes in Canada. They also found that over 50% of them have an attached garage. This is similar to what Health Canada found.
36. Braun Research surveyed 500 realtors. They discovered that a disorganized garage can be bad for buyers. This is because they give a very negative impression to potential homebuyers. 
37. The same research also found that homeowners should care for their garages. In fact, they think garages are just as important as the living room. 79% of realtors agree with this. 
38. 88% of these realtors also believe an organized garage shows the homeowner’s pride. 
39. Canadian Home Builders’ Association surveyed 12,000 Canadian Homebuyers. They discovered that many of them highly value a 2-car garage.
40. Remodeling Magazine published a Cost vs. Value report in 2018. They found out that installing a new garage door may increase the selling price of a property by up to 4%. 
41. It may be good to install upscale garage doors. This is because they are made with superior materials and have ornate handles and hinges. This helps with the pricing of the property. 
42. Remodeling Magazine published a Cost vs. Value report in 2018. They also do that high-quality garage doors can up a residential property’s value by a range of 1-4%.
43. A StrataMark’s study also confirms the same findings, as per Remodelling Magazine’s
44. Replacing your garage door can generate up to 97.5% of return. You will recoup this investment when selling your home. 
45. Thompson’s Company surveyed American homeowners. Up to 52% of them want to have a garage the neighbor envies.
46. Impulse Research Survey published a survey on homeowners. They found that over 24% feel embarrassed when they leave their garage doors. This is because they think their garage is small and messy.
47. Braun Research interviewed a group of realtors. The study discovered that up to 90% of them believe homebuyers want a garage that can do more than just parking.
48. The same research also shows that homebuyers prefer to store things in the garage. The garage beats out the basement and attic in this regard.

What Should You Do With These Facts?

• Consider sprucing up the garage if you want to improve your house’s value. 
• You can perform many projects to upgrade your garage. For example, put in epoxy flooring or install heaters and coolers. You can also bolt in some workbenches, shelves, or racks. 
• Installing good electric garage doors and opener system brings the best return on investment. This should also increase your home value quick too. So do that first. 
• You can also offer services to help people install and upgrade their garage doors. 
• When building a new garage, start with a two-door garage, which is the most common size. 
• Suppose you are preparing your house for viewing. In this case, ensure to spruce up and tidy up the garage to help give a great impression. This may also increase the property price. 

Find more statistics at Statista

Garage Safety And Maintenance

This section looks at stats and facts about garage safety and maintenance. These include things such as accidents and how you can prevent them. 

We also explore maintaining the garage, such as cost and ways. We also examine what many Americans understand about maintaining their home garage.

49. US Consumer Product Safety Commission compiled information on garages. They found that installing or repairing a garage door can cause severe injury or death. This is if not done properly.
50. There are several different causes of garage door-related injuries. Some examples include fingers caught between door sections and injuries from falling doors. There are also cases of DIYers hurt while attempting to repair their garage door springs. (Consumer Reports)
51. About 20,000 Americans suffer garage door-related injuries every year. The garage door’s weight, springs, cables, and other attached hardware can injure people. These include children and adults.
52. Garage doors are heavy and can cause injuries if they fall on someone. (US Consumer Product Safety Commission)
53. 92% of all garage door manufacturers offer online designers on their websites.
54. Running an old fridge or freezer in your garage will raise your electricity bill. (Department of Energy)
55. Running an old fridge or freezer in your garage can add $250-300 a year to your hydro bill. This is more significant with devices made before 1990.
56. Modern garage doors and openers are more energy-efficient. (National Association of Home Builders)
57. Garage door openers with “rolling codes” is more secure. They help protect your home from burglars looking to enter your garage. 
58. A new garage door opener can be programmed with your smartphone, computer, or tablet. This means you can control them from any location in the world. (National Association of Home Builders)
59. Garage doors generally have a typical lifespan of about 20 years. (National Association of Home Builders)
60. Generally, a garage door torsion spring should last around 9-10 years.
61. The most common garage door injuries are caused by pinched or crushed section joints (59.5%). This is followed by falling doors (16.5%) and someone working on a door (12.7%).
62. Modern garage doors can make your house more energy-efficient. You can also save electricity with a new garage door opener. Modern openers use up to 75% less power than older systems.

What Should You Do With These Facts?

• Only perform maintenance work that you have confidence in. This is because you may get injured if you try to repair or work on things you are unsure about. 
• Suppose that you are going to perform any work on your garage. In this case, put in place safety procedures and also wear proper safety gear.
• If you have old electrical appliances in your garage, they may be causing your power bill hike. Consider upgrading and getting appliances that are more energy efficient. 
• Ensure your garage door is well-equipped with safety features. 

Miscellaneous Garage Statistics and Facts

Here are facts and stats about the garage that we think does not belong elsewhere. However, we also think they are important enough for you to know. As a result, we added them here. 

63. The first garages were stables or carriage houses. They provided shelter for horses and their gear. Today, they have evolved into storage for our modern-day possessions and vehicles.
64. As much as one-third of a house’s front exterior can be occupied by its garage doors.
65. 3 million dollars. That is the value of a vintage car found in a garage unopened for 50 years.
66. 3 ultra-popular bands got started in a garage. They are Nirvana, Metallica, and The Beatles.
67. The word “garage” is actually taken from the French word “garer.” which means “to shelter” or “to protect.” (Merriam-Webster dictionary)
68. Electric garage door openers were invented a long time ago. The first one appeared in 1926, invented by C.G. Johnson. 
69. However, they did not become popular until after World War II. The Era Meter Company of Chicago launched one that could be operated remotely. You use a switch from the garage or a keypad in the driveway.