Moving Companies

The 9,100 moving companies in the US provide packing, transportation, and storage services for used household and office goods to individuals and businesses. Firms may also offer warehousing and storage, packing, and special handling services or sell boxes, paper, bubble wrap, tape, and other packaging supplies for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) movers. In the moving industry, the carrier or van line operates as the transporter of household goods. The moving agent operates under contract with the carrier to manage the move.

Seasonal Demand

The moving and relocation business is highly seasonal and peaks during the summer when families like to move to avoid disrupting the school year.

Mobility Falls

The number of Americans who move has been mostly flat or on the decline for several years, with advances in technology creating remote working opportunities that eliminate the need for relocation.

Sep 23, 2026 - First-Time Buyers Make More Trade-Offs

• The Wall Street Journal reports that younger buyers are making significant trade-offs to achieve homeownership in one of the least affordable housing markets in decades. Examples include moving from expensive cities to lower-cost nearby markets, accepting smaller homes, longer commutes, or less desirable locations. Those affordability-driven choices can create moving demand across metro boundaries and from urban cores to lower-cost suburbs or secondary cities. Moving companies may benefit from customers relocating farther than initially expected, especially when buyers seek markets with substantially lower housing costs. The trend also could support demand for smaller moves, partial-service options, and storage as younger households balance limited budgets with the costs of purchasing and relocating.
• Redfin says homebuying costs reached their highest level in more than a year in early September, with the typical buyer's monthly mortgage payment at a 14-month high of $2,641. Pending home sales remained near their lowest level since February, and 20.8% of listings had a price cut. For moving companies, persistently high ownership costs can suppress the flow of home purchases that generate residential moves, even when buyers have more negotiating leverage. Longer selling times can also make move dates less predictable, increasing the value of flexible scheduling, storage, and rescheduling options. Well-priced homes in desirable markets can still attract competition, so demand may remain highly uneven across geographies and customer segments.
• Existing-home sales fell 2% in August from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million, while sales were 1.2% lower than a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors. Unsold inventory increased to 1.62 million homes, equal to 4.9 months of supply, the highest level in more than 10 years. Slower transaction activity can reduce the number of household moves tied to completed home purchases, which may weigh on residential moving demand. At the same time, more listings and greater buyer negotiating power could support future transactions if affordability improves. Moving companies may need to manage staffing and truck capacity carefully while housing turnover remains subdued.
• South Carolina and North Carolina led the nation in inbound-to-outbound moving interest in August, while Florida still captured the largest share of net inbound searches, moveBuddha reports. South Carolina posted a 1.76 inbound-to-outbound ratio, and North Carolina reached 1.74, while Florida accounted for 26.7% of net inbound demand. In August, the top exit states included Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, and California. Moving companies may see stronger long-distance demand in the Southeast, especially in markets attracting households from higher-cost states. The data also shows how quickly patterns can change, with Kansas shifting from a top destination in July to an outbound state in August. Movers may benefit from closely tracking route-level demand when planning crews, equipment, pricing, and seasonal capacity.

Industry size & Structure

The average moving company operates out of a single location, employs about 11 workers, and generates about $2.4 million annually.

• The moving industry consists of about 9,100 companies that employ 98,200 workers and generate $22 billion annually.
• The industry is concentrated at the top and fragmented at the bottom; the top 50 companies account for 29% of industry revenue.
• Large companies, which include UniGroup (United Van Lines, Mayflower), SIRVA (Allied, North American Van Lines, Global), and Atlas, may have global operations.
• Companies that provide long-distance move services account for 32% of firms and 64% of revenue. Companies that provide local move and storage services account for 69% of firms and 36% of revenue.
• About 40% of firms generate less than $500,000 annually.
• The industry includes van lines, van line agents, and independent movers.