The American Religion of Self-Storage Facilities

The self-storage industry has become a defining pillar of American culture, with the U.S. accounting for roughly 90 percent of global capacity and generating over $40 billion in annual revenues. The industry, which expanded significantly from the 1970s onward, is driven by major life events—death, displacement, divorce, and downsizing—that force people to confront their accumulation of possessions. The prevalence of self-storage facilities now exceeds the combined number of Starbucks, McDonald's, Walmart, Home Depot, and other major chains, reflecting Americans' tendency to store items they cannot fit in their homes rather than discard them.