U-Haul report shows this state attracted the most number of people relocating

Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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For the third consecutive year, Texas had the largest number of people moving to the state, according to U-Haul's Growth Index report.

Each year, the moving equipment rental company tracks the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks arriving in a state or city compared with the net gain of trucks leaving that same state or city. Texas tops 2023's list, followed by Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

According to U-Haul, there are over 2 million one-way U-Haul truck transactions each year within the U.S. and Canada. The report gives a snapshot of do-it-yourself movers in 2023, but does not account for the total population of movers, such as those who used other rental companies or methods of moving.

U-Haul said in its report that the findings do not “correlate directly to population or economic growth.”

Top states for movers

The Houston skyline is pictured on Jan 30, 2017. For the third consecutive year, U-Haul's Growth Index report has found that Texas had the largest number of people moving to the state.
The Houston skyline is pictured on Jan 30, 2017. For the third consecutive year, U-Haul's Growth Index report has found that Texas had the largest number of people moving to the state.

These states saw the largest influx of movers in 2023, according to U-Haul:

  1. Texas

  2. Florida

  3. North Carolina

  4. South Carolina

  5. Tennessee

  6. Idaho

  7. Washington

  8. Arizona

  9. Colorado

  10. Virginia

  11. Nevada

  12. Vermont

  13. Utah

  14. Wyoming

  15. Delaware

California is at the bottom of U-Haul’s list for states that gained population, following similar net-migration trends revealed in 2022 U.S. Census data.

Southern states grew by more than 1.3 million people in 2022, making it the fastest-growing region in the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The South experienced a growth of 1.1% over 2021, largely driven by domestic and international migration. Since 2018, the South has experienced increasing year-to-year net domestic migration and is the most populous region in the U.S. at 128.7 million people, according to the most recent data available.

Texas reigns as top state for movers, third consecutive year

U.S. Census data shows Texas’ population has increased more than any other state since 2022. Over 668,000 people moved to Texas from another state in 2022. While almost half a million people left the state, Texas had a net gain of about 174,000 new residents.

Equipment rentals arriving in Texas accounted for more than 50% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of the state, fueling its growth, according to the U-Haul report.

In a news release, John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president, said, “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.”

“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 Taylor, U-Haul International's president, said in a news release.

See complete list of U-Haul growth states ranked

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: U-Haul report shows Texas is top spot for people moving