Do you know someone struggling with hoarding disorder? Texas is a hotspot for hoarding behavior, a new study shows.
Like gambling, hoarding is often misunderstood. Rather than a character flaw, hoarding disorder is a recognized mental health condition.
The International OCD Foundation estimates around 2% to 6% of Americans struggle with hoarding disorder. Indicators vary widely by age. The clinical disorder is nearly three times more common in older adults (ages 55-95) than younger adults (ages 34-44) — but symptoms typically begin appearing between ages 11 and 15 and can start interfering with daily life by the mid-20s.
If left untreated, individuals with hoarding disorder can face clinically significant impairment by their mid-30s and are therefore more likely to receive a diagnosis. Approximately three of every four people with hoarding disorder have a co-occurring mental health condition.
Clinical diagnoses aside, recent research suggests up to 14% of people exhibit some form of compulsive hoarding behavior in their daily lives. Internet search data indicates Americans don’t just recognize their own behavior — they also take action to manage it.
BOXIE24, a full-service, on-demand and eco-friendly self-storage company, sought to identify America’s biggest hoarding hotspots based on search behavior. The study analyzed Google search volumes for high-intent clutter-related terms like “how to declutter,” “storage unit near me” and “minimalist apartment” to reveal where hoarding concerns were most concentrated.
Here’s why Texas was named among America’s hoarding hotspots.
Texas named No. 4 hoarding hotspot
Texas ranked No. 4 among U.S. states in the BOXIE24 analysis, with 17,397,500 total clutter-related Google searches — which averages to 54,865 searches per 100,000 residents. The study speculates the “trend may reflect strong demand across rapidly growing urban and suburban areas, where population growth and housing expansion are increasing the need for effective decluttering and space-management solutions.”
Trends in the Lone Star State align with national interest in optimizing space within homes. A rise in decluttering- and storage-related terms in searches points to more Americans looking to better manage their living spaces as those spaces become increasingly limited.
“Hoarding often begins with everyday clutter that gradually becomes harder to manage. What this data highlights is where people are most actively looking for ways to regain control of their space, offering a real-time snapshot of how widespread these challenges are,” BOXIE24 CEO and decluttering expert Garrit Jan Reinders said. “In Texas specifically, this trend may reflect changing lifestyles, as residents balance busy schedules and growing households, leading to a greater focus on keeping their homes organized and manageable.”
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