Not Home Depot Or Lowe's: JD Power Says Customers Prefer This Home Improvement Store

With so many options available to consumers, it can sometimes be difficult to determine which home improvement outlet to visit when you find yourself shopping for power tools, paints, or whatever else you might need to make small repairs or give your home a proper glow-up. Price point will likely play a big part in the decision making process. If you prioritize overall satisfaction in your home improvement shopping experience, however, there is one major outlet that shoppers clearly prefer to competitors. 

That outlet is Menards. According to a 2026 study undertaken by J.D. Power, the Midwest home improvement chain beats out even The Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement when it comes to customer satisfaction. In fact, it outscored one of those big box competitors by a considerable margin.

J.D. Power's Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study is based on eight different factors, including additional services provided; the digital tools they have available; level of trust in the establishment and the people who work there; products and supplies available; return policies; state of the store; and value for price paid. Per J.D. Power, those factors were built into a poll administered to real-world shoppers, with the results contributing to a satisfaction score based on a 1,000 point scale. Menards, the family-owned retail chain, ultimately earned the top spot on the list with a score of 690 points.

If you're curious about J.D. Power's credentials, the outfit has long been recognized as an industry leader in the field of consumer analytics, utilizing data collected through targeted polling to determine rankings for products and companies in individual market sectors. As for this particular ranking, J.D. Power claims some 2,231 participants who'd shopped at a home improvement outlet were polled between March 2025 and March 2026. 

On a 1,000-point scale, the 690 scored by Menards might seem a touch underwhelming. However, it earned the home improvement chain the top spot by an impressive 11-point margin. As for the second place slot, that honor was awarded to The Home Depot, with the ACSI-approved home improvement chain scoring a solid 679 points.

Taking third place on the list is Ace Hardware, which earned a score of 673 points. That was one point higher than the average score for home improvement retailers, which was 672. If you're curious as to where Lowe's Home Improvement landed in the rankings, the popular retailer took last place on the list, scoring below market average with 659 points. This was a big change for Lowe's, as the home improvement chain actually took the top spot in J.D. Power's 2025 survey. It's a big change for The Home Depot too, which scored at the bottom of the '25 list. Either way, both factions are no doubt surprised to now be looking up at Menards.