AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 8, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Metro areas on the East and West coasts lead the pack for per-household spending on moving, storage and freight among the 100 biggest U.S. metro areas, according to new figures compiled by SpareFoot. SpareFoot operates the country's largest online marketplace for self-storage.
At the top of SpareFoot's list is Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT, with average per-household spending pegged at $71.53 this year. Next in line is Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($68.66), followed by Washington, DC ($67.39), Boston, MA ($66.49) and San Jose, CA ($66.38).
The U.S. average per household is $58.85.
To come up with the list, SpareFoot obtained estimates for household spending on moving, storage and freight from Geographic Research Inc.
In all, residents of the top metro area—Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk—will cough up nearly $24.5 million in 2013 to cover moving, storage and freight expenses. For the entire U.S., the total bill will add up to almost $7 billion this year.
Among the 100 most populated metro areas, only Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk breaks the $70 per-household mark for moving, storage and freight expenses.
"One reason moving, storage and freight spending is so high in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area is that the region has a bigger percentage of wealthy households than anywhere else in the country," said Chuck Gordon, co-founder and CEO of SpareFoot. "Also, the cost of living in Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk is about 60 percent higher than the U.S. average."
Eight of the top 20 metro areas for moving, storage and freight costs are among the richest in the country, SpareFoot's analysis found.
Here is SpareFoot's full list of the top 20 metro areas for moving, storage and freight costs per household.
| Metro area | Total | Avg. per household |
| 1. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | $24,479,000 | $71.53 |
| 2. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $18,660,000 | $68.66 |
| 3. Washington, DC | $147,051,000 | $67.39 |
| 4. Boston, MA | $119,412,000 | $66.49 |
| 5. San Jose, CA | $42,577,000 | $66.38 |
| 6. San Francisco, CA | $108,810,000 | $64.94 |
| 7. Hartford, CT | $30,505,000 | $64.30 |
| 8. Worcester, MA | $22,386,000 | $63.93 |
| 9. San Diego, CA | $71,142,000 | $63.56 |
| 10. Denver, CO | $66,658,000 | $63.52 |
| 11. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | $84,304,000 | $63.33 |
| 12. New York, NY | $458,739,000 | $63.24 |
| 13. Seattle, WA | $88,796,000 | $63.10 |
| 14. Austin, TX | $43,851,000 | $62.64 |
| 15. New Haven, CT | $20,940,000 | $62.56 |
| 16. Madison, WI | $16,050,000 | $62.17 |
| 17. Ogden, UT | $12,188,000 | $62.03 |
| 18. Provo, UT | $9,331,000 | $61.88 |
| 19. Los Angeles, CA | $266,353,000 | $61.75 |
| 20. Salt Lake City, UT | $23,053,000 | $61.69 |
For more details, see SpareFoot's list of moving, storage and freight costs in major U.S. metro areas at http://blog.sparefoot.com/4347-moving-and-storage-costs.
About SpareFoot
SpareFoot makes renting self-storage easy. Our free marketplace lets customers find and reserve storage units online. We have the largest inventory of storage units in the U.S., with a network of more than 6,500 facilities ranging from mom-and-pop to publicly traded REIT. We reach millions of people who need storage through exclusive partnerships with brands like SelfStorage.com, Apartments.com and Penske Truck Rental. The Austin Business Journal named SpareFoot the Best Place to Work in Central Texas for 2013.
For more information, visit sparefoot.com.