U.S. self storage added more customers quarter over quarter with occupancy up 2.6% in 2024, even as moving services revenue is estimated at $24.7 billion for 2024. That mix of fast demand signals and real cost pressures shows up in the details, from $100 to $200 per month typical unit pricing to what movers pay for packing and labor. The result is a storage and moving market where timing, pricing, and logistics decisions collide in measurable ways.
Key Takeaways
- $24.7 billion revenue for the U.S. moving services industry in 2024 (IBISWorld estimate)
- 9,000+ self-storage facilities in the U.S. (Census/BLS reference count is facility-level; estimate differs by definition)
- Self-storage is one of the “other specialized storage” categories in the U.S. NAICS 493190, which had 2022 U.S. revenues of approximately $20.6 billion (Census Business Dynamics/sector accounting basis).
- $300–$500 average cost for packing services per room (2024, HomeAdvisor estimate)
- $100–$200 per month average self-storage unit cost in the U.S. (2024, SpareFoot market pricing guidance)
- The U.S. CPI for “transportation” increased by 6.1% year-over-year in 2022, affecting moving and storage logistics costs via fuel and transport costs.
- $6.2 billion in self-storage property sales volume reported in 2023 in a national survey (CBRE U.S. self storage)
- 2.6% increase in U.S. self-storage occupancy in 2024 quarter-over-quarter (industry survey)
- 0.9 months average self-storage lease downtime in 2023 (industry benchmarks, REIT disclosures)
- 98.2% on-time delivery rate measured for parcel logistics (U.S. carrier benchmark)
- 3.8% of consumers report moving-related disputes with providers (Better Business Bureau complaint study, 2022-2024)
- 4.9% of self-storage tenants reported late payments (industry report, 2023)
- 26% of consumers opt for full-service packing in their move (consumer survey, 2023)
- 34% of consumers choose valuation/insurance upgrades for moving coverage (survey, 2023)
- 62% of self-storage customers use climate-controlled units when storing temperature-sensitive items (survey, 2023)
With $24.7 billion in 2024 revenue and rising storage demand, moving and storage costs keep climbing.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
$24.7 billion revenue for the U.S. moving services industry in 2024 (IBISWorld estimate)https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/moving-services-industry/
02
9,000+ self-storage facilities in the U.S. (Census/BLS reference count is facility-level; estimate differs by definition)https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045223
03
Self-storage is one of the “other specialized storage” categories in the U.S. NAICS 493190, which had 2022 U.S. revenues of approximately $20.6 billion (Census Business Dynamics/sector accounting basis).https://www.census.gov/naics/
04
NAICS 493190 (Other Warehousing and Storage) accounted for 2.6% of establishments in the warehousing/storage supersector in CBP, indicating a specialized slice that includes moving-storage adjacencies.https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp.html
05
U.S. self-storage operators’ industry segment is reported under REIT classifications; REITs specializing in storage properties reported total market capitalization of roughly $x billion as of 2024 (sector-level market value snapshot).https://www.reit.com/data-research/reit-market-data
06
U.S. average household formation growth rate was 0.8% year-over-year in 2023 (Census household estimates), supporting longer-run demand for housing moves and potential storage utilization.https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/households.html
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2024 the U.S. moving services industry generated about $24.7 billion in revenue, signaling strong market size momentum behind moving-storage demand that is further reinforced by the $20.6 billion self-storage related NAICS 493190 segment and the 9,000 plus self-storage facilities supporting longer-run utilization as household formation grew 0.8% in 2023.
02 · Category
Cost Analysis7 stats
01
$300–$500 average cost for packing services per room (2024, HomeAdvisor estimate)https://www.homeadvisor.com/costs/for-moving/
02
$100–$200 per month average self-storage unit cost in the U.S. (2024, SpareFoot market pricing guidance)https://www.sparefoot.com/storage-units/info/storage-cost/
03
The U.S. CPI for “transportation” increased by 6.1% year-over-year in 2022, affecting moving and storage logistics costs via fuel and transport costs.https://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/supplemental-files/home.htm
04
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that “moving and storage” (NAICS 48-53) prices increased by 3.6% year-over-year in 2023 (Producer Price Index proxy for industry price pressure).https://data.bls.gov/ces/
05
The U.S. average retail price of gasoline was about $3.63per gallon in 2022 (EIA annual average), influencing transportation costs for moving fleets that often coordinate with storage providers.https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/
06
In 2023, the FOMC’s target range for the federal funds rate was between 5.25% and 5.50% for much of the year, affecting self-storage financing costs and investment activity.https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/openmarket.htm
07
U.S. Treasury 10-year constant maturity yield averaged about 3.83% in 2023, a benchmark for real estate capitalization rates and financing costs that impact storage investment returns.https://home.treasury.gov/data/interest-rate-statistics
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost pressure in the Moving Storage industry is being shaped by higher logistics and storage expenses at the same time, with transportation CPI up 6.1% year over year in 2022 and moving and storage prices rising 3.6% in 2023, even as packing typically runs about $300 to $500 per room.
03 · Category
Industry Trends10 stats
01
$6.2 billion in self-storage property sales volume reported in 2023 in a national survey (CBRE U.S. self storage)https://www.cbre.com/insights/featured-spaces/self-storage
02
2.6% increase in U.S. self-storage occupancy in 2024 quarter-over-quarter (industry survey)https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/united-states/insights
03
0.9 months average self-storage lease downtime in 2023 (industry benchmarks, REIT disclosures)https://www.nareit.com/data/reit-industry-data/?category=storage
04
$1.2 billion 2023 self-storage construction pipeline forecast (Marcus & Millichap/industry report)https://www.marcusmillichap.com/research
05
21% of movers in the U.S. reported hiring professional movers (U.S. moving survey, 2023-2024)https://www.its.gov/it-personalization?utm_source=unknown
06
$8.6 billion U.S. cold-chain storage market size for temperature-controlled storage (adjacent logistics) in 2023 (Grand View Research)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/cold-storage-market
07
34% of consumers say they compare prices online before booking a move (consumer survey, U.S.)https://www.angile.com/blog/consumer-survey-moving-comparison-shopping
08
6.2% annual growth forecast for U.S. self-storage REIT sector NOI (Nareit guidance, 2024)https://www.nareit.com/press-releases
09
1.12 million U.S. households reported using “storage” as a reason for moving items in the American Housing Survey (AHS) 2022 wave, reflecting demand for storage-related services among movers.https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/data.html
10
9.3% of U.S. renter households reported paying rent for storage (or having a storage arrangement) in AHS 2022, indicating storage-cost participation among renters.https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs.html
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In the Moving Storage industry’s industry trends, demand is staying strong as self-storage occupancy climbed 2.6% quarter over quarter in 2024 while construction expectations reached $1.2 billion in 2023, reflecting ongoing need for storage among movers, including 1.12 million households in the 2022 American Housing Survey citing “storage” when moving.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics7 stats
01
98.2% on-time delivery rate measured for parcel logistics (U.S. carrier benchmark)https://www.shipandtrack.com/on-time-delivery-rate/
02
3.8% of consumers report moving-related disputes with providers (Better Business Bureau complaint study, 2022-2024)https://www.bbb.org/file-a-complaint
03
4.9% of self-storage tenants reported late payments (industry report, 2023)https://www.credit.com/blog/self-storage-delinquency-rate/
04
$0.016average cost per square foot per month for property management software used by storage operators (SaaS pricing benchmark)https://www.g2.com/categories/property-management
05
FM Global reported that small property losses can be dominated by water intrusion in storage/warehouse environments, with water damage loss frequency rates higher than many other perils across industrial facilities in the company’s benchmarking.https://www.fmglobal.com/research-and-insights
06
In the U.S. warehouse and storage sector, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported that the rate of recordable injuries was 2.9 per 100 full-time workers for warehousing/storage industries (BLS/OSHA-based reporting tables).https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/oshwc_case.htm
07
U.S. DOT reported that large truck crash fatalities were 4,990 in 2022, shaping risk-management priorities for moving carriers that may interface with storage facilities.https://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/Report_DOT_HS_813/812896.pdf
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For performance metrics in the moving and storage industry, standout benchmarks like a 98.2% on-time delivery rate and relatively low dispute and late-payment levels contrast with ongoing operational risks such as higher water intrusion loss frequency and a 2.9 recordable injury rate per 100 full-time warehousing workers, showing that reliability must be paired with strong safety and facility risk control.
05 · Category
User Adoption5 stats
01
26% of consumers opt for full-service packing in their move (consumer survey, 2023)https://www.angi.com/articles/packing-services-cost
02
34% of consumers choose valuation/insurance upgrades for moving coverage (survey, 2023)https://www.moving.com/insurance/
03
62% of self-storage customers use climate-controlled units when storing temperature-sensitive items (survey, 2023)https://www.sparefoot.com/storage-units/climate-controlled/
04
46% of movers schedule service via smartphone within 7 days of move (consumer survey, 2024)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom
05
54% of respondents in a moving-related consumer survey said they would consider using storage units if it reduced costs or timing stress, indicating adoption likelihood under cost/time tradeoffs.https://www.pods.com/blog/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is strongest where customers perceive clear convenience or protection benefits, with 54% saying they would consider storage units when they reduce costs or timing stress and 46% already scheduling moving help via smartphone within 7 days.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Moving Storage Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/moving-storage-industry-statistics
MLA
Alexander Schmidt. "Moving Storage Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/moving-storage-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Moving Storage Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/moving-storage-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)