The US Moving Industry Snapshot 2012

UPDATE: See the amazing new moving trends for 2019.

The US moving and household storage industry consists of more than 8,000 different moving companies. They are operating at more than 17,000 locations with about $14 billion in combined annual revenue. This includes van lines, van line agents, independent full-service movers, international movers, forwarders, and auto transporters.

The industry employs 122,600 people with an annual payroll of $3.6 billion. Is composed of mostly small businesses:

• 47.8% of industry companies employ fewer than 5 people.
• Only 8.5% of industry companies employ 100 or more people.
• 50 largest companies of the industry occupy about 45 percent of the relocation market.

UPDATE: See the new 2018 moving industry stats infographic.

Market Fragmentation and Focus

Large companies include UniGroup, SIRVA, Atlas, Bekins/Wheaton and more. See the full list of the largest moving companies here. There is no distinct market leader in the industry as the market is fragmented.

Companies in this industry move household and office goods, cars and motorcycles, and specialty items like pianos, jacuzzis and trade show exhibits. They provide their services either locally or interstate. Overseas shipping is also possible, however, that is quite expensive. Moving companies also provide long-term and short-term storage for the items that they move, on the customer’s request.

Industry Revenue and Regulation

The Moving Industry earns 45% of its revenue from long-distance moves (usually state to state or across the country). Most of the companies in this industry are privately owned. The industry is regulated by the Department of Transportation and in some states by local agencies. There is a consumer oriented website (Protect your move) built by the government to raise awareness of the regulation system as well as to provide more information regarding the relocation industry. There is a number of notable associations that most of the trusted movers are members of. Here is the full list of the largest moving associations. Based on our observations, moving brokers are on the rise as they become able to get larger market share year-over-year.

Movers Reputation and Customer Service

As the online reputation gets more and more important in 2012, more and more moving companies invest in their brand awareness and customer service. At My Moving Reviews we monitor that an increasing number of moving companies are closely following their customers’ activities online. We notice more and more resolved cases with customers that were initially unhappy with the service provided, but after communicating with moving company representatives online through review sites and social media, they express positive attitude towards the very same company. More and more movers become socially active and responsive to their customers’ demands.

US Population and Migration

This beautiful graph by the US Census Bureau shows the population growth trends from decennial censuses from 1790 to 2010. Read more on that here.

Following the red hues you can easily spot the trends and the more popular states people move to. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 40 million Americans have moved annually over the last decade.

Top Travel Cities On Yahoo in 2012

According to the Yahoo’s latest search data for the USA, here is what people have searched for in 2012 the most in regards to travel. We’ve also added links to our moving guides to the respective city.

1. Las Vegas
2. Chicago
3. London
4. New York
5. Washington D.C.
6. San Francisco
7. San Diego
8. Dubai
9. New Orleans
10. Hong Kong

You can also read our moving industry history article and our glossary of moving terms to get the full picture.

What are your observations about the industry. Share your comments below.