GoKawiilSelf-Storage Emerges as an $80 Billion American Institution
A cross-country road trip prompted an examination of self-storage facilities as a defining fixture of American life, alongside churches. The industry, which began mostly as small mom-and-pop operations in the 1970s, has grown into a major institutional asset class, with the U.S. holding roughly 90 percent of global self-storage capacity. Texas leads all states in facility count, while Hawaii has the fewest, and New York City ranks third among metro areas.