Henderson, NV, and Gilbert, AZ, Top The List Of Cities Where Renters Enjoy Plenty Of Storage Space

As cities continue to grow and attract more residents, living spaces can become increasingly cramped, leaving renters struggling to find room for their belongings. However, there are cities that offer more storage options for renters than others, both inside their apartments and outside. From larger apartment sizes to widely available outdoor storage areas, some cities are making it easier for renters to live comfortably in uncluttered places.

We looked at the country’s top 100 cities by population and ranked them based on their storage potential, accounting both for the average apartment size and availability of outside storage. Outside storage is defined as a storage space outside of the apartment that only the renter has access to, usually located on a balcony or patio. It’s definitely a great perk to have, one that can help you organize your belongings better and enjoy a neat and tidy interior. According to our research, renters living in southern, southwestern and West Coast cities enjoy a winning combo of spacious apartments and outside storage spaces.

Spacious apartments and outside storage are the norm in Nevada and Arizona

Henderson, Nevada, is the country’s best city for renters interested in enjoying plenty of space — not only are the apartments in the city a very lofty 970 square feet on average, but over two-thirds of them also benefit from outside storage.

The next three positions in the ranking go to a trio of Arizonan cities: Gilbert, Chandler and Scottsdale, in this order. Renters in Gilbert, Arizona, get to enjoy roomy apartments — the average apartment size is a little under 950 square feet, and, on top of that, an impressive 85% include outside storage. Apartments in Chandler and Scottsdale are slightly smaller compared to Gilbert, at a little over 940 square feet, and 81.5% and 64% of them respectively offer the possibility of outside storage to renters.

Raleigh, North Carolina, is a friendly place for renters who own plenty of stuff as well, ranking fifth in our top, with generous apartments at around 950 square feet on average — and about half of them also include outside storage. Another city in North Carolina that allows renters to breathe in terms of space is Durham, landing at number 10, due to its 930-square-foot average apartment size, and the fact that 45% also have extra storage on the balcony or patio.

North Las Vegas, Nevada, and Santa Clarita, California, share the sixth position in the ranking, scoring equal points but for different reasons: North Las Vegas has slightly larger apartments than Santa Clarita, but the latter has more units that provide outside storage to renters.

Other cities that make it to the top 10 best cities for renters in terms of storage space at home are Irvine, California, and Plano, Texas. Both cities have apartments hovering around 930 square feet on average, but 58% of the apartments in Irvine also include outside storage, compared to a little over 53% in Plano.

Storage space at home is a bigger challenge for renters on the East Coast and in the Midwest

Most cities that rank high for storage space at home are located in the South, Southwest or in California, while cities on the East Coast and in the Midwest fall at the opposite end of the spectrum. These cities generally have smaller apartments, and outside storage is simply not a thing.

The same is true for Honolulu, which ranks last in terms of storage space for renters among the country’s 100 biggest cities: The average apartment size here stands at around 620 square feet, and storage space outside the apartment is hard to come by.

Newark, New Jersey, and New York City do have bigger apartments, on average, compared with Honolulu (over 700 square feet in both instances), but outside storage is a quasi-inexistent perk here as well. Other cities where renters might find it challenging to store their belongings include Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis and Boston.

Self storage can help all renters manage their possessions and live in a clutter-free apartment

Self storage is a service widely used by apartment renters, and for good reasons. It allows people to safely store a host of belongings they might not be using on daily basis but still need in the long term, without compromising on living conditions. Even in the case of large apartments, or those that include some form of outside storage, finding room for everything you own can be a challenge. Some people live with roommates, while others might have hobbies or even small businesses that involve owning stuff or working with different types of materials. From sports equipment and collectibles to out-of-season clothing, extra furniture, business-related items and so on, self storage helps renters keep their apartments nice and tidy, while not compromising on their prized possessions.

The national street rate for self storage hovers around $127 — however, local prices can go significantly up or down depending on where you live. For example, a 10’x10’ self storage unit in Henderson, Nevada, rents for $125, while the same type of storage unit in Minneapolis hovers around $111 per month.

Check out how the country’s largest cities fare in terms of self storage prices and availability:

Self Storage Rates and Availability in the Country's Largest 100 Cities