Seattle Now Small homes have Seattle spilling into storage units
Jan 21, 2026
Join Paul Roberts, a Seattle Times business reporter, as he dives into the city's booming self-storage market. He discusses the main reasons people rent storage units, highlighting trends like downsizing and relocating. Seattle's unique housing challenges, such as high land costs and small apartments, drive the demand for storage. Paul also reveals the psychological factors behind our attachment to belongings and the economic dynamics of storage businesses. Lastly, he touches on seasonal trends that lead to an annual spike in storage usage.
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Seattle’s Storage Capacity And Small Apartments
- Seattle has nearly 24 million square feet of self-storage, roughly 240,000 one-bedroom apartments worth of space. This large capacity exists because apartments are getting smaller while demand for storage rises.
Why Seattle Lacks Enough Storage
- Seattle is one of the least well-supplied self-storage markets per capita because rapid growth and high land costs limit new facilities. Local zoning resistance also constrains where storage warehouses can be built.
Storage Tied To Apartment Living
- Self-storage demand closely tracks the multifamily housing market and smaller apartments. Younger renters normalize using storage for bikes and gear and visit units frequently like a garage.