What do you expect for the self storage industry in 2026?
Growing demand and higher rates? Stiffer competition and more discounts?
We've sifted through the data to deliver the most important information and crunched it down to help you stay informed on current industry trends.
Our 2026 Self Storage Trends Report has all the data you need, but we pulled out a few interesting stats that show which way we're headed here!
Who Owns the Market?
While it may feel like the REITs are multiplying in every town across the country, small operators are still holding their own in the self storage industry.
Small operators (those who own 1-5 facilities) still make up the majority of the industry, while large operators actually make up the smallest portion.
So even if you feel like you are drowning in a sea of REITs, small operators remain the face of the industry and own the majority of self storage facilities across the country. Local and regional operators continue to serve most self storage customers.
Self Storage Market Ownership
Each Customer is Worth More
With a slower market and stiff competition, customer retention should be a top priority.
Tenants are staying longer than ever, most likely due to housing affordability issues and changing demographics.
The average length of stay has increased, and new move-ins are slowing. Retaining existing customers is crucial, as the lifetime value of each customer goes up and up!
This means that you may need to be careful raising rates, always provide exceptional customer service, and ensure your facility meets customer needs.
Average Length of Stay
There has been a lot of buzz around AI and how to optimize websites for ChatGPT, Claude, and other large language models. Google remains the top search engine, but roughly half of the US population uses AI search tools to find information.
According to stats gathered from StoragePug data, very few customers are completing the rental process through ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI tools.
This means that, for now, AI is auxiliary. Google searches are still leading the charge and getting most of your customers to the rental page.
2025 Online Rental Activity
If you want to stay on top of the industry and prepare your business for the future, you can learn more about the top industry trends in our Self Storage Trends Report of 2026.
Download our free report and learn about customer trends, competitor performance, and much more!
Check out some of these other helpful blogs:
At StoragePug, we build self storage websites that make it easy for new customers to find you and easy for them to rent from you.
