U-Haul list shows states where people are moving
As thousands of people move across state lines every year, where are they going? And where are they leaving?
According to the annual U-Haul Growth Index, do-it-yourself movers preferred destinations in the Southeast and Southwest regions of the United States in 2023.
Texas netted the largest number of movers in one-way U-Haul equipment for the third consecutive year. Florida ranked right behind Texas among growth states, followed by North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Meanwhile, California saw the largest net loss of one-way U-Haul equipment for the fourth year in a row. Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts rounded out the bottom five.
Where are people moving?
“While one-way transactions in 2023 remained below the record-breaking levels we witnessed immediately following the pandemic, we continued to see many of the same geographical trends from U-Haul customers moving between states,” John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president, said in a press release.
“Migration to states in the Southeast and Southwest is still very pronounced. Demand for one-way equipment out of certain markets in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast mirrors what we have seen during recent moving cycles.”
Four states in the West — Idaho, Washington, Arizona and Colorado — made the top 10 for growth. Utah, one of the fastest-growing states in the country, ranked 12th.
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Eyes for Texas (and Florida)
Texas is the No. 1 growth state for the sixth time in eight years and has ranked no lower than second on the U-Haul Growth Index throughout that stretch. DIY movers arriving in Texas accounted for 50.4% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of Texas (49.6% departures) to keep it the leading growth state, according to the company.
Florida remains equally appealing to new residents, netting almost as many one-way U-Haul customers as Texas in 2023, according to U-Haul. The Sunshine State has been a top-four growth state for nine years in a row. Florida topped the U-Haul Growth Index in 2019.
U-Haul calculates growth by each state’s net gain (or loss) of one-way equipment from customer transactions in a calendar year. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box moving container transactions annually across the U.S. and Canada.
So, if someone rented a U-Haul to move from California to Texas, it would count as a loss for California and a gain for Texas.
Arkansas, Wyoming, Vermont, Washington, Delaware and South Dakota moved up the most year over year in the U-Haul growth rankings. Oregon, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri and Indiana dropped the most.
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