1 in 3 Americans Rent Self Storage

With space shortages growing and demand expanding, 33% of Americans use self storage, and 18% plan to rent a unit in the future, according to a survey of nearly 3,000 conducted by StorageCafe. 

Of those, baby boomers lead self storage use (42%), though 50% of Gen Z plan to do so in the future. Renters (34%) are slightly more likely to use it than homeowners (30%), and one-bedroom apartment residents are the most frequent self storage users (44%). 

The biggest reason for renting self storage is not having enough space at home (35%), followed by moving (31%) and downsizing (8%). 

What’s in the storage units? The most commonly stored items include: 

1. Furniture (27%) 
2. Clothing (18%) 
3. Home appliances and equipment (17%) 
4. Sporting items and hobby gear (9%) 
5. Business items (8%) 

Additionally, the most popular storage unit size was 10’x10’ (26%), followed by 5’x10’ (22%). About 44% opt for climate-controlled storage, and 46% of users reported visiting their storage unit at least once a month. 

Why don’t Americans have enough space in their homes? According to StorageCafe, 42% reported feeling overwhelmed by clutter in their homes either frequently or all of the time. The biggest clutter culprits were: 

1. Clothing (26%) 
2. Old electronics and accessories (17%) 
3. Books (10%) 
4. Unwanted gifts (9%) 
5. Toys and baby items (9%) 
6. Kitchen utensils (7%) 

But what about some of the unusual items kept in self storage? These included: 

• Burial urns 
• Scarecrows 
• Medicine 
• Dolls 
• Old love letters 
• Blanket collections