© Benjamin Rondel - The Image Bank / Getty Images
The self-storage industry is seeing rapid growth as a result ofthe pandemic spurring more people to reorganize their homes,to findextra space as they work from home, andto moveto the suburbs or movein with more family members.
Thirty-eight percent of Americans reported being self-storage users, according to a newly released StorageCafe survey of about 17,000 survey responses.
The report identified some of the latest self-storage trends, including:
- Gen Xers (54%) and baby boomers (51%) are the most likely to use self-storage. Millennials are also showing increased interest at 40%.
- Living in a spacious home doesn’t negate the need for self-storage. About 42% of residents of homes sized from 1,500 to 2,499 square feet use self-storage, along with the same percentage of residents in larger homes, from 2,500 to 3,500 square feet.
- About one-third ofAmericans say they put furniture in self-storage, the most common item to store. That is followed by clothing, home appliances, sporting items and hobby gear, and business items.
- Downsizing is the main reason Americans rent a storage unit. Next are moving or needing more storage space at home.
- By state, Idaho has the highest percentage of the population that uses self-storage, at 59%; next is Utah at 54%, then New Mexico at 53%, New Hampshire at 49%, and Wisconsin at 48%.
- The most popular storage size unit is 10’ x 10’, followed by 5’ x 10’.
