Stuffed! Surprising stats about all the things we accumulate

photo credit: Alex Shuper

How much stuff do we really have?

• The average American household contains 300,000 items from paper clips to furniture.

• In the UK, the average home has over £4,000 worth of unused items.

• 1 in 10 Americans rent offsite storage, making the self storage industry worth over $38 billion a year.

Closets bursting at the seams

• The average person only wears 20% of their clothes regularly.

• Americans throw away over 34 billion pounds of clothing each year.

• 80% of women own clothes they’ve never worn.

Kitchen clutter chaos

• The typical kitchen has over 40 gadgets, but most people use fewer than 10 regularly.

• Households waste about $1,500 a year on uneaten food. That’s a lot of forgotten leftovers.

Toys, tech, and tangled cords

• The average child in the U.S. owns more than 200 toys, but plays with just 12 daily.

• Households have an average of 24 electronic devices. Think phones, tablets, TVs, and more.

• Americans generate about 6.9 million tons of e-waste every year.

Why do we keep so much?

• 54% of people say they hold onto things for sentimental reasons.

• 32% keep items “just in case” they might need them someday.

• Only 11% of people say they feel their home is clutter-free.

Bottom line

All that stuff adds up not just in square footage, but in stress, time, and even money. Maybe it’s time to take stock, clear out, and make room for what really matters.

Sources

The average American home contains 300,000 items.

1 in 10 Americans rents offsite storage.

The self-storage industry is worth over $23 billion a year.

Americans collectively spend $2.7 billion every year replacing lost items.

Americans throw away over 34 billion pounds of clothing each year.

The average person only wears 20% of their clothes regularly.

The average child in the U.S. owns more than 200 toys but plays with just 12 daily.

Households have an average of 24 electronic devices.

Americans generate about 6.9 million tons of e-waste every year.

The typical kitchen has over 40 gadgets, but most people use fewer than 10 regularly.

Households waste about $1,500 a year on uneaten food.

54% of people say they hold onto things for sentimental reasons.

Only 11% of people feel their home is clutter-free.

The average American spends $18,000 per year on non-essential items.