Key Facts
- There are now approximately 46,500 primary* self storage facilities in the U.S.
- Nearly 1-in-10 of U.S. households, or 10%, currently rent a self storage unit, which has increased from 1-in-17 since 1995. This represents a 65% increase in the last 15 years
- The self storage industry has been the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. commercial real estate industry over the last 35 years
- Primary self storage facility gross revenues for 2010 were approximately $22.0 billion
- The total market capitalization of the entire U.S. self storage industry is well in excess of $220 billion
- Nationally, primary self storage facilities employ 163,000 persons, or an average of 3.5 employees per facility (excludes ownership)
- There are some 27,650 small business entrepreneurs (90% of all self storage companies) who own and operate just one primary self storage facility
- The top 5 self storage companies, including the 4 public companies, own and operate some 4,850 self storage facilities, or about 10% of all primary facilities
- Total self storage rentable space in the U.S. is estimated to be 2.22 billion square feet (as of Q4-2010). That figure represents more than 78 square miles of rentable self storage space under one roof - or an area well more than 3 times the size of Manhattan Island (NY)
- There are 7.0 sq. ft. of self storage space for every man, woman and child in the nation, thus, it is physically possible that every American could stand - all at the same time - under the total canopy of self storage roofing
Self Storage Association “Industry fact sheet” (6/11)
*Primary = self storage is the primary source of revenue