Calling All Collectors: These Are the Best Cities in America for Garage Sale Shopping

Madeline Buiano
·2 min read
garage sale sign in yard
garage sale sign in yard

kali9 / Getty Images

If there's one thing we never pass up, it's a garage sale—the opportunity to find secondhand treasures, be it a vintage blouse, rare set of china, or a unique painting, is part of our nature (thanks, Martha!). And while you may cherish some of the finds you've scored in your own hometown, it turns out there are certain areas of the country that shine above the rest when it comes to collecting. According to a new report by Angi, the best place for garage sale shoppers is Cleveland, Ohio.

To compile their list of the best and worst places to go garage sale shopping in the United States, the team looked at the 50 largest cities in the nation and tracked down the number of garage sales in a single weekend—from June 15 to June 19—per capita. They also looked at the average annual temperature and the average number of clear days to account for limited shoppers in areas that were cold and rainy during the observed weekend. To determine each city's score, the researchers weighed each metric differently, with the number of garage sales per capita being the highest, followed by the number of clear days, and then the average annual temperature.

Related: Our Favorite Items to Start Collecting

According to the data, Cleveland, Ohio, is the best city to garage sale shop in. With an overall score of 30.6, the city had 161 garage sales over one summer weekend. Although you might strike out with the weather, you'll get about 66 clear days a year with the average temperature clocking in around 52.5 degrees. After Cleveland is Milwaukee, Wis. (with an average score of 28.24), where you can find about 111 garage sales in a weekend, with the average yard size in the state being 28,331—which means more room for shopping.

Rounding out the top five are Hartford, Conn. (26.26), Orlando, Fla. (25.95), and Riverside, Calif (22.90). Wondering what this geographically diverse group of cities has in common? They all have a population of less than 3,000,000, but still boast a relatively high number of garage sales. In fact, smaller cities tended to dominate the top ranked areas for garage sale shopping, while larger cities trended towards the bottom of the pack.

The 10 Best U.S. Cities for Garage Sales

  • Cleveland, Ohio

  • Milwaukee, Wis.

  • Hartford, Conn.

  • Orlando, Fla.

  • Riverside, Calif.

  • San Jose, Calif.

  • Las Vegas, Nev.

  • Phoenix, Ariz.

  • Baltimore, Md.

  • Providence, R.I.

The 10 Worst U.S Cities for Garage Sales

  • Seattle, Wash.

  • Portland, Ore.

  • Boston, Mass.

  • St. Louis, Mo.

  • Denver, Colo.

  • Minneapolis, Minn.

  • Salt Lake City, Utah

  • New York, N.Y.

  • Detroit, Mich.

  • Richmond, Va.