To better understand how common home improvement loans are, LendingTree analyzed the latest housing data to determine where the most home improvement loans are originated. Specifically, we looked at the number of first- and second-lien mortgages used to pay for home improvements for every 100,000 owner-occupied homes in each state. Here's what we found. 

• Across the 50 states, an average of 361 home improvement loans are originated for every 100,000 owner-occupied houses.
• Relative to the number of owner-occupied housing units, the most home improvement loans are originated in Utah, Idaho and Rhode Island. The fewest are originated in Alaska, Louisiana and Mississippi. 
• On average, 77.8% of new home improvement loans across the 50 states are second-lien mortgages. In other words, homeowners are more likely to choose options like home equity loans or home equity lines of credit than cash-out refinances.
• First-lien mortgages (like cash-out refinances) used for home improvements are much less common than their second-lien counterparts. On average, 22.2% of newly originated home improvement loans are first-lien. 
• Home improvement loan amounts are highest in Hawaii, California and Massachusetts. The average home improvement loan amounts in these states are $213,373, $193,150 and $145,965, respectively. In contrast, home improvement loan amounts are lowest in Iowa, North Dakota and Nebraska, averaging $65,579, $71,460 and $72,211, respectively.

You can check out our full report here: https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/home-improvement-loans-study/

LendingTree's Senior Economist and report author, Jacob Channel, had this to say:

"Though they aren’t without drawbacks, home improvement loans can help qualified and responsible homeowners keep their homes in good shape and otherwise easy to live in. That said, homeowners shouldn’t rush to get a home improvement loan until they fully understand what they’re getting themselves into and are reasonably certain that they can pay back whatever they borrow.”