The small US towns worth buying a self-storage business in

Try Utah, Texas or Ohio

9,143

US towns of 2,000 to 20,000 people, each scored 0 to 100

5,701

pass the self-storage screen (62%)

50,338

storage facilities mapped, 39,344 independent

5.2

sq ft of storage per person in a typical town; US average 7.9

Top-scoring towns

Map and full ranking

#	Town	Population	Income	Growth	Sq ft per person	Facilities, 10 mi	Town scorehigher = better market to buy in
1	Lanai HI	3,393	$92,167	+25.4%	0.0	0	75 / 100Pass
2	Winnie TX	3,290	$80,913	+18.0%	0.3	2	75 / 100Pass
3	Crewe VA	2,906	$70,625	+17.9%	0.5	2	75 / 100Pass
4	Bagdad AZ	2,814	$107,885	+58.6%	0.0	0	75 / 100Pass
5	Waikoloa HI	7,543	$81,703	+15.2%	5.5	2	73 / 100Pass
6	Kaunakakai HI	4,360	$76,131	+43.5%	0.0	0	73 / 100Pass
7	Casselton ND	2,953	$73,259	+10.3%	4.1	3	73 / 100Pass
8	Wrightwood CA	5,067	$74,332	+27.2%	1.5	2	70 / 100Pass
9	Idyllwild-Pine Cove CA	3,957	$73,678	+57.6%	2.1	2	70 / 100Pass
10	Esparto CA	3,713	$102,986	+13.5%	0.7	2	70 / 100Pass

Town score runs 0 to 100, higher = better market to buy in. Pass Fail Check

Phone view shows population and the score; open a town for every number.

Datasets

50 states and DC

Self-storage

Every US town of 2,000 to 20,000 people, scored on income, growth, renters, nearby competitors and storage square feet per person.

9,143 towns, 50,338 facilities. Town data free, facility detail $49 / month.

What the town score measures

Population

Residents of the Census place, ACS 5-year 2020 to 2024.

Median household income

Under $45k fails the screen. $70k and up scores best.

Population change since 2015 to 2019

Growth of 10% or more scores best. Shrinking towns lose points.

Renter households

Renters move more and rent storage more. 40% and up scores best.

Storage facilities within 10 miles

0 to 3 scores best. 11 or more costs points, and chains or REITs cost more.

Storage sq ft per person, 10 miles

Estimated building sq ft of every facility within 10 miles, divided by everyone living within 10 miles. Under 7 is undersupplied; over 10 is crowded.

Verdicts

Pass no hard fail and 15+ points. Fail a hard fail (income under $45k or crowded supply) or under 15. Check no facility found within 10 miles, so supply needs a look before it counts.