14 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Yard Signs

In a digital-first age, you're probably wondering how relevant yard signs are in boosting sales and increasing business awareness. Despite how glued everyone is on their phones and tablets, various industries like real estate, restaurants, and political campaigns include yard signs in their promotional tools. It's the most accessible and affordable way for many small businesses to capture passersby's attention, especially if the establishment is a few minutes away. Many companies continue to utilize signs, with the global sign market expected to grow to $117.24 billion in 2022. By 2026, the sign market is expected to grow to $153.75 billion. Signs will retain their prominence in the next few years as it complements all digital efforts and sustains real-time attention for potential customers on the go.


What else makes yard signs so attractive to various markets? Here are several truths, facts, and trivia you probably didn't know about the timeless advertising display.

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14 Interesting Things About Yard Signs

Which states use yard signs the most?

Based on Google trends, the following states search for yard signs the most:

    1. Louisana
    2. Alabama
    3. Kentucky
    4. Georgia
    5. Tennessee

Our internal data has also found that the following states have the most yard sign sales:

    1. California
    2. Texas
    3. New York
    4. Ohio
    5. Florida

Real estate agents and companies use yard signs for advertising open houses and other properties for sale. While potential homeowners default to online searches, real estate yard signs retain their importance with the following facts:

  • According to the National Association of Realtors, 26% of for sale by owner marketing comes from yard signs.
  • A realtor's sign serves as a way for potential buyers to directly contact agents or widen their search to neighborhoods they haven't considered, says Sarah Stovall, a top real estate agent in North Atlanta.
  • The National Association of REALTORS® 2017 statistics report that 8% of homebuyers found the home through a yard or open house sign.

    • While the numbers are small compared to the broader reach online, a yard sign guarantees potential buyers scoping the area and increases your chances of a sale via another promotional channel.

    Open House Yard Signs

    The Power of Yard Signs in Political Campaigns

    The presence of yard signs usually signals election season. From the first elections until today, yard signs consistently promote local and national candidates. But with so much time passed, how effective are yard sign's in today's age?

  • A Columbia University Study found that yard signs increased voter share by 1.7%. The percentage increase may be slight, but "the implication is that thousands of voters would have voted for someone else, if not for the signs," says Alex Coppock, co-author of the study.
  • One hypothesis states that voters interpret signs as a signal of the candidate's quality or viability, according to a study on the effects of lawn signs on vote outcomes. The lawn signs suggest to voters that the candidates have the resources and staffing to display these signs in their area.
  • The same previously cited study also says that signs have a strong signaling effect on private property. Why? Voters are more likely to be influenced by their neighbors' chosen candidates.

    • sample political yard sign

  • While yard signs are not enormously influential, "they could kick you over the line in a very tight race," says Donald Green, professor of political science at Columbia University.
  • New University of Colorado Boulder research found that 1 in 5 people display a yard sign. This study was based on 30,000 households across four elections and three research sites.

    • Historical Facts

    Yard signs have been around before printing existed and since the earliest U.S. election:

  • John Quincy Adams was the first to have signs printed for his presidential campaigns in 1824.
  • The earliest use of political yard signs dates back to the Ancient Romans, who promoted their candidates on their home walls, as the Institute for Free Speech reports.

    • The State of Yard Signs in America

    Americans love putting up their yard signs, and the Supreme Court supports your freedom to do so:

  • The U.S. Supreme Court rules that displaying political and other sign types on residential property is a "unique, important, and protected means of communications." The ruling means that towns cannot restrict private property owners from displaying yard signs. The Supreme Court even ruled sign restrictions unconstitutional in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, where Gilbert, Arizona, had a code regulating signs based on the printed information. They mandated that campaign signs should be smaller than ideological ones and can only be displayed for a limited time. But the court stopped these restrictions as the First Amendment forbids the government from suppressing free speech.
  • The First Amendment protects both small and large signs. In one case, Tennessee resident Bill Thomas displayed several billboards to support the U.S. Olympic Team. The Tennessee Department of Transportation demanded he removes it as they had no commercial purpose. When Bill sued in 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th circuit ruled that the law was an "unconstitutional content-based restriction on speech."

    • Yard signs are still the best way to get anyone's attention on the ground. Whether selling property or promoting a political candidate, having that easy-to-see display will boost your exposure.??