Overall, the US self-storage industry contains more than 2.1 billion square feet of total self-storage space as of 2026. With the economy taking a hit and the housing market effectively frozen, there’ve been a lot of questions about about the self-storage industry statistics.
But the storage market has proven its resilience once again, thanks to economic pressures and new lifestyle choices. 1 out of 3 Americans is currently renting a unit, though research shows many of us are using self-storage as a coping mechanism for downsizing our home size.
Still, the self-storage sector has remained stable, with lots of new unit constructions projected for 2026. This article dives into the specifics of the self-storage industry statistics in 2025 and 2026.
We’ll cover a bit of background on the self-storage market and share some market data. We’ll reveal the size of the market, the expansion patterns, and how to use SpareFoot.com’s to grab yourself a free month of storage on us!
This page contains statistics about the U.S. self-storage industry compiled by The SpareFoot Storage Beat, drawing from authoritative sources including Storable, Storable Self Storage Software, Yardi Matrix, and other self-storage market research. If you have data that you would like to share or have a question about data on this page, please email editor@sparefoot.com.
In this report:
- About the Storage Industry
- Storage Pricing Trends
- Storage Unit Occupancy Rates and Vacancy Rates
- Top Operators of the Self Storage Sector
- Self-Storage Industry Market Expansion
- Top Self-Storage Markets
Self-Storage Industry Market Outlook Snapshot
| U.S. Self-Storage Market Snapshot | Market Data |
| Total self storage properties (2026) | 2.1+ billion sq. ft. |
| New storage spaces built over the last 5 years | 292.9 million sq. ft. |
| Net rentable square feet completed in 2025 | 55.1 million rentable sq. ft. |
| Planned prospective properties in 2026 | 51.1 million sq. ft. |
| Americans currently using storage | 33% (1 in 3) |
| Americans intending to rent storage | 18% |
| Average rental rates (10’×10′ unit) | $119/month |
About the Self-Storage Industry
The Self Storage Association defines the self-storage industry as composed of a large number of firms that lease enclosed storage rooms to individuals and businesses on a temporary, month-to-month basis.
Renters may use self-storage units as temporary storage during a move, during renovations, to organize and free up space, to downsize and reduce clutter, and during difficult life transitions.
Here’s a quick glimpse at the storage industry basics:
- 37.6% of rentable space in storage facilities (by square footage) owned by five public companies
- 22.2% is owned by other large and mid-size storage facility companies that each operate more than 500,000 square feet of self-storage space.
- One in three Americans currently uses self-storage, with another 18% planning to rent a unit in the future.
- There are more than 50,000 self-storage facilities nationwide; more locations than all Subway, Dollar General, and CVS outlets combined.
How big is the self-storage industry?
Overall, the self-storage industry is valued at between $44.3 billion, according to the 2024 Self-Storage Almanac published by MiniCo Insurance. The U.S. contains a total inventory of over 2.1 billion square feet of storage space.
- There are over 2.1 billion square feet of total self-storage space in the U.S. as of 2026
- Storage facilities built over 292.9 million sq. ft. over the last 5 years
- The storage industry constructed 55.1 million rentable sq. ft. in 2025 alone–enough to cover all of Central Park
- Yardi Matrix projects that storage facilities will construct over 51.1 million sq. ft. worth of new units in 2026
Self-Storage Pricing Trends
Rental prices for self-storage units have softened across the board heading into 2026. The average 10’x10′ non-climate-controlled unit runs $119/month, 0.8% less year-over-year. Climate-controlled units, on the other hand, average $134/month, holding flat.
Move-in rates for Q4 2025 dropped 10.7% year-over-year to $96.44, reflecting the reality of soft demand and operators competing harder for new tenants.
The most expensive markets are San Rafael, CA ($306/month) and Santa Barbara, CA ($304/month), which cost just under six times more than the cheapest unit market prices, like Montgomery, AL ($54/month).
In short, the pricing trends vary greatly across the self-storage market based on the storage facility’s region and location.
How Interest Rates Impact Self-Storage
Federal Reserve interest rates significantly impact the self-storage industry through financing costs for facility development and self-storage REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) borrowing expenses. Rising interest rates typically slow new construction, which can support higher storage rates over time. Current storage REIT interest rate trends influence both operator expansion strategies and consumer spending on storage services.
National Average Cost to Rent a Unit at a Storage Facility
The average monthly move-in rate across climate-controlled units and non-climate-controlled units is $96.44, with the current national average 10×10 storage unit price resting at $119.
Non-Climate-Controlled Unit Prices
| UnitSize | Avg. SelfStorage Price | Y-o-YChange | Rent /Sq. Ft. |
| 5×5 | $52 | -1.9% | $2.09 |
| 5×10 | $74 | -1.3% | $1.48 |
| 10×10 | $119 | -0.8% | $1.19 |
| 10×15 | $156 | -1.3% | $1.04 |
| 10×20 | $193 | -1% | $0.96 |
| 10×30 | $256 | -1.5% | $0.85 |
| Average(all sizes) | $136 | -1.5% | $1.26 |
Average monthly rental rates for non-climate-controlled units for January 2026, according to Yardi Matrix
Climate-Controlled Storage Unit Prices
| UnitSize | Avg. SelfStorage Price | Y-o-YChange | Rent /Sq. Ft. |
| 5×5 | $53 | -1.9% | $2.14 |
| 5×10 | $82 | -1.2% | $1.65 |
| 10×10 | $134 | 0% | $1.34 |
| 10×15 | $179 | 0% | $1.19 |
| 10×20 | $232 | -0.4% | $1.16 |
| 10×30 | $327 | 0% | $1.09 |
| Average(all sizes) | $146 | -0.7% | $1.47 |
Average monthly rental rates for climate-controlled units for January 2026, according to Yardi Matrix
Self-Storage Facility Occupancy Rates
Here’s a rundown of occupancy rates and trends that revealed themselves in the final quarter of 2025.
National Occupancy
Average national occupancy levels at stabilized facilities was 77.0% in Q4 2025, essentially flat year-over-year versus Q4 2024, and down just under 1 percentage point from Q3 2025 (seasonal, consistent with historic norms).
Regional Occupancy (Q4 2025)
- West: 79.8% (highest region; down 0.2 vs. Q4 2024, down 0.8% vs. Q3 2025)
- Midwest: 77.9% (up +0.6 vs. Q4 2024)
- Northeast: 76.7% (up +0.5 vs. Q4 2024)
- South: 75.0% (down 0.3 vs. Q4 2024)
What’s Moving the Needle on Occupancy
- People are staying put: Average customer length of stay hit 18.5 months, up 2.4% year-over-year. Fewer people are moving in, but fewer are moving out, so occupancy levels stay stable.
- The housing freeze means more storage: High mortgage rates have basically locked millions of Americans into home sizes that no longer fit their lives, a trend reverberating through the self-storage market is feeling it. 16% of Americans have already grabbed a storage unit just to cope with the mismatch, and another 25% are thinking about it. All across metropolitan areas, the demand story has flipped from moving to a new place to looking for more space.
- Rental rates are down, and operators know it: Average asking rent dropped 10.7% year-over-year in Q4 2025, from $108.05 to $96.44 across both non-climate-controlled units and climate-controlled units.
- Smart operators are playing the long game: Instead of using aggressive pricing strategies, the industry’s move right now is retention, improved customer experience, enhanced security solutions, and building loyalty with tenants, since the churn rate is down across most regions.
- The comeback is coming: 73% of mortgage holders say they’d move if they could take their rent price with them. That means there’s a pent-up demand that’s lurking in the shadows, suggesting that a wave of move-related storage demand is around the corner when the market finally thaws. Vacancy rates may tighten, and occupancy rates may increase.
Top Operators of Self-Storage Facilities
More than 37% of self-storage space is controlled by the top five firms, four of which are real estate investment trusts: Extra Space Storage, Public Storage, CubeSmart, and National Storage Affiliates Trust. The fifth, U-Haul, is a publicly traded holding company.
Largest publicly traded self-storage facility operators in the U.S. (by annual revenue)
- Public Storage: $3.4 billion (2023)
- Extra Space Storage: $2.56 billion (2023)
- CubeSmart: $1.05 billion (2023)
- National Storage Affiliates Trust: $858 million (2023)
- U-Haul Holding Company: $744 million (fiscal 2023; self-storage revenue only)
Data from the most recently reviewed company earnings reports.
Largest self-storage operators in the U.S. (by number of facilities, owned or managed)
In April of 2023, Extra Space Storage acquired Life Storage for approximately $12.7 billion. The deal made the Salt Lake City-based REIT the largest self storage facility company in the industry, displacing longtime leader Public Storage.
- Extra Space Storage: 3,666 facilities
- Public Storage: 3,533 facilities
- U-Haul International: 2,016 facilities
- CubeSmart: 1,338 facilities
- National Storage Affiliates Trust: 1,237 facilities
Data from Self Storage Almanac 2024
Developing Self-Storage Industry: Projects Under Construction
The self-storage sector developed robustly throughout 2025, though the growth was far from being evenly distributed. The Atlanta metro led all U.S. markets in new-unit construction, totaling 2.4 million square feet. Phoenix was the runner-up, developing 2.3M sq. ft., and the New York metro area was a close third at 2.0M sq. ft.
Top 10 Markets for Storage Construction in 2025
| Rank | Metropolitan Area | Completions(sq. ft.) |
| 1 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 2.4M |
| 2 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 2.3M |
| 3 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 2M |
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1.6M |
| 5 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1.5M |
| 6 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 1.4M |
| 7 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 1.3M |
| 8 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 1.3M |
| 9 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1.3M |
| 10 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 1.2M |
Rank out of 323 U.S. metropolitan areas, based on storage market data from Yardi Matrix.
Top Self-Storage Markets 2026
The U.S. contains a total inventory of over 2.1 billion square feet of storage space. January 2026 data collected by Yardi Matrix show that Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, currently has the largest inventory of storage space, while Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR, has the most self-storage unit square footage per capita.
| Metropolitan Area | Inventory(sq. ft.) | Y-o-YChange | Sq. Ft. /Capita | |
| 1 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 80.1M | 1.7% | 10.8 |
| 2 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 79.4M | 1.5% | 11.5 |
| 3 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 77.5M | 2.8% | 4.1 |
| 4 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 66.2M | 1.9% | 5.1 |
| 5 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 54.2M | 4.5% | 9.7 |
| 6 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 52.2M | 3.3% | 5.8 |
| 7 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 44.8M | 3.1% | 7.5 |
| 8 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 41.9M | 5.4% | 9.0 |
| 9 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 35.3M | 2% | 8.0 |
| 10 | Washington DC-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 32.9M | 1.2% | 5.9 |
Rank out of 150 U.S. metropolitan areas, based on storage market data from Yardi Matrix.
One Last Self Storage Industry Statistic: SpareFoot Can Help You Find an Affordable Storage Unit
By now, you should have a pretty good view of the storage industry trends. The primary cost variables are unit size, location, and which amenities you want to add.
Some of the storage features may be luxury expenses, while others might be non-negotiables. It all depends on the type of items you’re storing, and how you plan to use your storage unit.
But how do you find a unit in your area that matches your size guidelines, has all the features you need, AND is still in your price range?
That’s where we come in.
Just type your area code into our SpareFoot Storage search tool. We’ll give you immediate access to the largest storage facility marketplace on the web.
Our site filters the search results by detailed guidelines that you set based on your needs, such as the closest distance from your home, lowest prices, climate control, 24-hour access, or on-site security.
No matter what your budget is, SpareFoot can help you find the perfect self-storage unit for your needs. Whether you’re off to college or need temporary storage in the middle of a big move, a storage unit might seem like a luxury expense, but think of it like this:
You can rent a month of storage for the cost of renting a moving truck for a day or paying for professional mover help for an hour or two. Then, you can take your time and move between your old place, your storage unit, and your new place at your leisure.
In fact, that handy SpareFoot tool we mentioned can filter your search results based on storage units in your area that give you your first month of storage for free!
Al Harris
Alexander Harris is a reporter covering the business of self-storage. He obtained his degree in journalism from Virginia Commonwealth University. He loves reading Elmore Leonard novels and listening to classic country music. You can call him Al.