The Power tools market in the United States had an estimated net worth of $7.8 billion in 2020. A closer look at those numbers reveals that a large share of this pie is unevenly distributed among a handful of brands that trump the rest, when it comes to popularity.
To gain some clarity into this, we ran an analysis. We plugged in some of the biggest power tools brands into Google trends between the dates of 10/01/2020 – 13/01/2021 which was over a 12 month period to find the states where each brand was most searched for, relative to the total number of searches.
We then recorded each of the states scores to give us the 10 most popular searched for brands in the USA overall.
The results were quite surprising. Before we get to the meatier bits, here’s some more information on how we did this.
Which Power Tool Brand is the Most Popular in Your State?
Each Power Tool brand that was found to be the most popular one in a state, is not the most searched one in that state. Instead, it’s the most searched relative to the state’s total searches when compared to all other states.
Some interesting results
We reviewed a total of 30 power tool brands, which revealed some very interesting state favorites.
Ryobi: Ryobi, the Japanese brand is one of the most popular Farm & Garden Equipment brands around the world. But in the United States, there are five states where it’s most popular. Texas is one of the largest states where Ryobi scores over other brands. Given that there’s 130-million acres of farm land in Texas, that data isn’t too surprising. But it also tops the chart in Florida. We wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Techtronic Industries, the parent company that manufactures brands like Ryobi and Milwaukee, recently moved their headquarters to Fort Lauderdale.
Dewalt: Dewalt is popular in the Western States of Montana and Wyoming and the neighboring South Dakota and Nebraska, for no real reason. The only plausible explanation that we can find is that Stanley Black and Decker has been a benevolent sponsor for the ‘American Farm Bureau’s’ ‘Young Farmers and Ranchers’ awards. But is that reason enough for the popularity that Dewalt enjoys in these four states?
Bosch: Bosch’s reputation in North America has steadily improved over the years. In 2020, the German brand scored exceptionally well in the Western States and Northern Americas. The popularity of the brand in California can possibly be linked to the 104,000-square-foot Research and Technology Center that they set up in Sunnyvale. Ditto with their popularity in South Carolina where the brand has a massive facility at Anderson. What about the rest though? They are certainly doing something right with their products.
Each State’s Favorite Power Tool Brand
Here’s an in-depth look at each state and the power tool brand that’s favored in it.
Alabama
Top Brand – Kobalt
Runner up – Ryobi
Tools that Kobalt are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
Kobalt is Lowe’s home brand that offers an extensive range of power tools and lawn equipment. The brand enjoys unprecedented popularity in the South American region. Alabama is one of the states where it tops the Google Trends data. The other brand that came close, is Ryobi, which is equally popular in Alabama. Could it be because of Alabama’s 8.9 million acres of farm land?
Alaska
Top Brand – Dremel
Runners up – Ridgid & Festool
Tools that Dremel are known for – Dremel is primarily known for its rotary tools.
Alaska’s most popular brand is Dremel, which is known for its rotary tools. Given that 85% of Alaska’s economy is powered by Oil and Gas industries, the popularity of Dremel tools in the state is not surprising. Ridge Tool Company, which manufactures tools for the plumbing, construction and HVAC industries is the second-most popular brand in Alaska, followed by Festool, the German brand known for hand tools.
Arizona
Top Brand – Hitachi
Runners up – None
Tools that Hitachi are known for – Power tools, outdoor power equipment and construction machinery
Hitachi is Arizona’s favorite brand. For a brand that has such an extensive product range, it was initially a tad difficult to pin point the exact reason for Hitachi’s popularity. But the answer may lie in Arizona’s mining industry that Hitachi supplies equipment to. For those who are unaware, Arizona is the world’s seventh largest producer of copper.
Arkansas
Top Brand – Craftsman
Runners up – None
Tools that Craftsman are known for – Lawn and garden equipment, Farm machinery, power tools, automotive machinery
Craftsman is one of the most popular power tools brands in America. It was originally Sears’ home brand that was later sold to Stanley Black & Decker. It’s the most popular power tools brand in Arkansas which is primarily, an agricultural state.
California
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – None
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
Bosch is the #1 brand in the Western States. It has a huge 104,000-square-foot Research and Technology Center in Sunnyvale California, which could be one of the primary reasons for the popularity.
They are also very popular with engineering companies producing high quality drill press and drilling machinery that is heavily used through out this industry.
Colorado
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – None
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools, machining tools
Bosch tops the chart in Colorado as well. A lot of people are unaware that Rexroth which is one of the biggest suppliers of machining tools for the aerospace industry, is wholly owned by Bosch. This might explain the popularity of the brand in Colorado, which has some of the largest Aerospace companies in America.
Connecticut
Top Brand – Black & Decker
Runners up – None
Tools that Black+Decker are known for – Power tools, lawn and garden tools, cleaning equipment, home improvement products and appliances
Black & Decker is Connecticut’s favorite brand and rightly so. Stanley Black and Decker have a sprawling headquarters in New Britain, Connecticut and provide employment for thousands in the state.
Delaware
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – Black & Decker
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
Bosch is one of the most reputed brands in the power and farm tools industry. It’s also one of the largest suppliers of automotive parts in America. That can be one of the reasons for its popularity in Delaware. Black & Decker is the second most popular brand in this state.
Florida
Top Brand – Ryobi
Runners up – None
Tools that Ryobi are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
Florida has predominantly been an agricultural state. But it has made some giant strides in manufacturing and aerospace recently. Apart from Ryobi’s wide product range for these industries, the parent company Techtronic has shifted their HQ to Fort Lauderdale.
Georgia
Top Brand – Ryobi
Runners up – None
Tools that Ryobi are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
Georgia is another state that’s heavily dependent on Agriculture and Automotive industries. Ryobi specializes in outdoor power tools, including farm tools and lawn care products. They are one of the world’s largest brands in die casting manufacturing, for the automotive industry.
Hawaii
Top Brand – Makita
Runners up – None
Tools that Makita are known for – Corded and cordless power tools for home use, outdoor equipment, lawn care
We expected Makita to turn up more often in the Google trends data. But the Japanese brand surprisingly topped the chart in only one state, Hawaii. Makita offers a variety of power tools for lawn and gardens, which might be one of the reasons for its popularity in Hawaii. Also, Hawaii has a busy fishing industry that Makita tools are widely used in.
Idaho
Top Brand – Silverline
Runners up – Hitachi & Metabo
Tools that Silverline are known for – Hand and Power tools
Idaho’s favorite tools brand is Silverline, which is quite surprising because it beat Hitachi to top the number of searches. Silverline is a manufacturer of hand and power tools for home use. The company was established in 1978 and is more popular in Europe than in US. Another surprising name that appeared in Idaho is Metabo, the German brand.
Illinois
Top Brand – Rockwell Tools
Runners up – None
Tools that Rockwell are known for – Oscillating tools, woodworking tools and work support stations
Rockwell Tools owned by Positec Tool Corporation is a small, reasonably young power tools brands that offers oscillating tools and machinery for wood cutting. This explains its popularity in Illinois which has a $23 billion Forestry industry.
Indiana
Top Brand – Worx
Runners up – None
Tools that Worx are known for – Electric lawn & garden power equipment and power tools
Worx is the sister brand to Rockwell tools, and is also owned by Positec. It’s the most searched power tools brand in Indiana for no real reason. Worx’s lawn care equipment are quite popular in the United States. But we cannot explain the widespread popularity for the brand in Indiana.
Iowa
Top Brand – Kreg
Runners up – Black & Decker
Tools that Kreg are known for – Jigs, woodworking tools
Kreg has a sprawling manufacturing unit in Huxley, Iowa. So no surprises that it tops the number of searches in the state. Ditto with Stanley Black and Decker which has a 80000 sq. feet facility in Iowa.
Kansas
Top Brand – Worx
Runners up – None
Tools that Worx are known for – Electric lawn & garden power equipment and power tools
Worx is the most favored brand in Kansas. Kansas has worked towards reducing its carbon footprint in the last decade and CO2 emissions are at its lowest in 40-years. Is Worx more popular than other brands like Stihl because of the wide range of electric tools that the brand offers?
Kentucky
Top Brand – Kobalt
Runners up – None
Tools that Kobalt are known for – Power tools, air tools, hand tools and outdoor power equipment
Kobalt, which is Lowe’s home brand is quite popular in the Southern States. Kentucky is one of the states where it tops the search results, more than any other brand as the Google trends data indicates.
Louisiana
Top Brand – Tacklife
Runners up – Irwin
Tools that Tacklife are known for – Automotive parts, power tools, outdoor tools and home accessories
Tacklife is a Chinese brand that offers an extensive range of power tools, outdoor tools and automotive parts. It is the most popular brand in Louisiana, followed closely by Irwin tools, which is owned by Stanley Black & Decker.
Maine
Top Brand – Ryobi
Runners up – None
Tools that Ryobi are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
Ryobi is the most popular brand in Maine, a state that has large lumber and wood industries, along with vast stretches of farmland.
Maryland
Top Brand – Tacklife
Runners up – None
Tools that Tacklife are known for – Automotive parts, power tools, outdoor tools and home accessories
Tacklife, the budget-priced power and outdoor tools brand tops the search results in Maryland. While it might not be a plausible explanation to some, we believe that this has to do with the Amazon last-mile fulfilment centers in the state. Tacklife is wildly popular on Amazon and is considered a budget-priced clone of the big boys.
Massachusetts
Top Brand – Vonhaus
Runners up – None
Tools that Vonhaus are known for – Garden tools, hand and power tools, outdoor tools, furniture and kitchen appliances
Who would have thought that a little known brand from England would top the number of searches in Massachusetts? But Vonhaus is the most popular brand in the state. To their credit, they have one of the widest product catalogs that we’ve seen. They seem to manufacture everything from outdoor furniture to kitchen appliances and a wide range of power tools as well.
Michigan
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – Ryobi
Tools that Ryobi are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
Bosch is the most searched brand in Michigan. This can be due to the Robert Bosch Headquarters in Farmington Hills. Bosch has also announced a 20,485-sq.-m tech center in Michigan. Interestingly, Ryobi is the second most popular brand in the state.
Minnesota
Top Brand – Rockwell Tools
Runners up – None
Tools that Rockwell are known for – Oscillating tools, woodworking tools and work support stations
Positec’s Rockwell Tools is the most favored brand in Minnesota, which is primarily an agrarian state, with 26-million acres of farmland. Manufacturing and Mining are the other two biggest industries in the state. Rockwell’s vast catalog of lawn and garden equipment, and the availability of the brand in big box stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot has made it quite popular in the state.
Mississippi
Top Brand – Kobalt
Runners up – None
Tools that Kobalt are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
Mississippi is most interested in Kobalt, Lowe’s home brand known for its hand tools, mechanic’s tools and lawn equipment. This comes as no surprise considering that Kobalt has dominated the Southern States in this analysis.
Missouri
Top Brand – Black & Decker
Runners up – None
Tools that Black+Decker are known for – Power tools, lawn and garden tools, cleaning equipment, home improvement products and appliances
Stanley Black & Decker has a manufacturing facility in Sedalia Missouri. But it only employs around 650 employees. So that cannot be the sole reason why it’s the most favored power tools brand in the state. Missouri’s biggest industry is Aerospace and Stanley Black & Decker has for long been associated with the Aerospace industry.
Montana
Top Brand – Dewalt
Runners up – Stanley Hand Tools
Tools that Dewalt are known for – Power and hand tools, tools for the manufacturing and woodworking industries
Dewalt, which has its headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland is the most popular power tools brand in the In Montana, it is followed by Stanley Hand Tools. Notably, both brands are owned by Stanley Black & Decker.
Nebraska
Top Brand – Dewalt
Runners up – None
Tools that Dewalt are known for – Power and hand tools, tools for the construction, manufacturing & woodworking industries
Nebraska is one of the four states where Dewalt is the most favored power tools brand. This could be due to the booming manufacturing and construction industries in the state.
Nevada
Top Brand – Hitachi
Runners up – None
Tools that Hitachi are known for – Power tools, outdoor power equipment & machinery
Hitachi is Nevada’s favorite brand. Hitachi has a wide catalog of industrial tools that it supplies to mining, aerospace and construction companies in Nevada.
New Hampshire
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – None
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
New Hampshire is a popular tourist destination with lakes, forests and ski resorts dotting the tiny state. On the industrial front, it is a booming manufacturing hub. If you take a close look at Hitachi’s vast catalog of products, it gives you a fair idea of why it’s the most popular brand in the state.
New Jersey
Top Brand – Silverline
Runners up – None
Tools that Silverline are known for – Power and hand tools
This small European brand has more than 300 budget-priced power tools in its catalog. Along with Idaho, where it broke into a Dewalt and Bosch stronghold, NJ is the other state where this brand tops the search results consistently.
New Mexico
Top Brand – Dremel
Runners up – None
Tools that Dremel are known for – Primarily known for its rotary tools
Dremel’s rotary tools find plethora of applications in New Mexico’s population with many hobbyists and professionals favoring them, not to mention the oil and gas industry. Ditto in the booming Aerospace sector that the state boasts of.
New York
Top Brand – Einhell
Runners up – None
Tools that Einhell are known for – Hand tools and Power tools for handymen, DIY enthusiasts and hobby gardeners
The most popular brand in New York City is Einhell, a German brand that manufactures a range of power tools. Einhell is generally considered a budget-priced tools brand for the hobbyist. It’s not really a brand that the pros would want in their workshop. What’s it about Einhell that makes it a favorite amongst New Yorkers?
North Carolina
Top Brand – Kobalt
Runners up – None
Tools that Kobalt are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
As we mentioned earlier, it was a close battle for dominance in the southern states between Kobalt and Bosch. We can attribute Kobalt’s popularity to the sprawling 357000-square-foot tech center that Lowes set up in Charlotte recently, which created 3900-jobs. But that still doesn’t explain why the brand is popular in three of the neighboring states.
North Dakota
Top Brand – Worx
Runners up – None
Tools that Worx are known for – Electric lawn & garden power equipment and power tools
Worx is the most popular brand in North Dakota as the Google trends data shows, while all the neighboring states favor Dewalt. Just like most other states in the US, North Dakota has been making a conscious attempt to reduce emissions. Worx, with its range of electrically powered lawn tools makes for a great choice.
Ohio
Top Brand – Worx
Runners up – None
Tools that Worx are known for – Electric lawn & garden power equipment and power tools
Worx tops the search data in Ohio and neighboring Pennsylvania. But there’s not enough data to correlate this popularity with. We guess that the southerners just prefer budget-priced tools.
Oklahoma
Top Brand – Evolution Power Tools
Runners up – Husky tools
Tools that Evolution tools are known for – Power tools for woodworking, metal works and DIYers
Evolution Power Tools is quite popular among the hobbyist woodworking community. It is the most popular power tools brand in Oklahoma, which has a thriving forestry industry. Guess that a lot of DIYers in Oklahoma have generated a keen interest in Evolution’s range of woodworking tools. Home Depot’s house brand ‘Husky Tools’ is the second most popular tool brand in the state.
Oregon
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – None
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
Bosch is the most favored brand in Oregon, in-tune with its popularity in the two neighboring states.
Pennsylvania
Top Brand – Ryobi
Runners up – None
Tools that Ryobi are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
Techtronic’s Ryobi is the most popular brand in Pennsylvania. We had expected Black & Decker to beat the rest of the brands in this state. But with a large oil and gas industry, Ryobi’s tools seem to be better suited for the state’s users.
Rhode Island
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – None
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
Rhode Island favors Bosch power tools over all other brands. In fact, it is the north-eastern states where there has been no consistency in brand popularity. Rhode Island’s primary industries are manufacturing and shipbuilding. The Rotary and oscillating tools are widely used in these industries.
South Carolina
Top Brand – Kobalt
Runners up – None
Tools that Kobalt are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
Kobalt, Lowe’s home brand is the most popular brand in South Carolina and most of the neighboring states. Lowe’s is quite popular in Duncan where it owns a massive 1.3-million square feet distribution center. Also, the big box store chain has more than 100-stores in these states.
South Dakota
Top Brand – Dewalt
Runners up – None
Tools that Dewalt are known for – Power and hand tools
As we mentioned at the onset, Stanley Black & Decker’s home brand Dewalt rules the roost in the Western States. South Dakota, along with Montana and Wyoming favor the brand the most in the USA.
Tennessee
Top Brand – Kobalt
Runners up – None
Tools that Kobalt are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
Lowe’s is quite popular in Tennessee for the past three to four years, since it opened the 1.1 million-square-foot Cooperstown distribution center. In peak season, the center is said to handle up to 900 orders a day. Could this be the sole reason for Kobalt’s popularity?
Texas
Top Brand – Ryobi
Runners up – None
Tools that Ryobi are known for – Hand and mechanics’ tools & lawn equipment
Ryobi’s popularity in Texas is difficult to explain. Maybe it has something to do with Texas having the most number of farm lands in the US. We expected Marlin Tools, a homemade brand made in Arlington to be more popular. But Ryobi has gained a lot of popularity in the recent past due to its high quality farm tools.
Utah
Top Brand – Husky Tools
Runners up – None
Tools that Husky Tools are known for – Hand tools, pneumatic tools, and tool storage products
Husky Tools is sold exclusively in Home Depot. They have a range of power tools that are manufactured by Stanley Black & Decker, Western Forge, Apex Tool Group, and Iron Bridge Tools. So it’s quite possible that you might find these tools to be identical copies of other B&D brands. Home depot does offer a lifetime warranty on these tools. Oh, forgot to mention that Home Depot has a 9-million sq. feet in Utah.
Vermont
Top Brand – Porter Cable
Runners up – Greenworks
Tools that Greenworks are known for – Power and Pneumatic tools, Lithium Ion Outdoor Power tools
We were expecting Porter Cable to top the search in more states to be honest. But it finally popped up in Vermont where it’s most popular. The second most popular brand in the state is Greenworks, known for its battery-powered outdoor tools.
Virginia
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – None
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
Virginia favors Bosch unlike the neighboring states which either favor Ryobi or Kobalt. Virginia is a manufacturing hub and Bosch’s machining tools are widely used in the industries here.
Washington
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – None
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
Just like Colorado, Washington has a large aerospace industry, which might explain Bosch’s popularity in the state. The hydraulic circuits that the brand manufactures under the Rexroth brand is quite popular in these parts.
West Virginia
Top Brand – Craftsman
Runners up – None
Tools that Craftsman are known for – Lawn and garden equipment, Farm machinery, power tools, automotive machinery
Stanley Black & Decker’s ‘Craftsman’ is the most popular outdoor tools brand in West Virginia. The state relies heavily on Agriculture, but is also a national hub for chemicals and biotech industries. We are unsure whether Craftsman’s recently upgraded 1200-tools catalog contains tools used in these industries.
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – Black & Decker
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
Bosch is one of the most reputed brands in the power and farm tools industry. It’s also one of the largest suppliers of automotive parts in America. That can be one of the reasons for its popularity in Delaware. Black & Decker is the second most popular brand in this state.
Wisconsin
Top Brand – Bosch
Runners up – None
Tools that Bosch are known for – Power tools, rotary and oscillating tools
With a booming manufacturing and agriculture industry, it’s no wonder that Bosch is the most popular power tools brand in Wisconsin. Bosch produces an ensemble of automated machinery and tools which are used across industries.
Wyoming
Top Brand – Dewalt
Runners up – None
Tools that Dewalt are known for – Power and hand tools
Last but not the least, we have Dewalt as the most favored power tools brand in Wyoming. No surprises. Dewalt is uniformly popular across the Western States of Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.
The Top 10 Power Tools Brands Overall in the US Are:
Based on the data that we gathered from all 50 states in the USA, these are the top 10 most popular power tool brands across the whole of the USA for 2020-21.
- Bosch
- Ryobi
- Hitachi
- Black and decker
- Craftsman
- Dremel
- Worx
- Metabo
- Porter cable
- Kobalt
