That’s what U-Haul reports:
U-Haul Announces Top Growth States of 2023
PHOENIX, Ariz. (Jan. 2, 2024) — Texas netted the largest number of movers in one-way U-Haul® equipment in 2023, marking the third consecutive year it has finished atop the U-Haul Growth Index.
Florida ranks right behind Texas among growth states for the third year in a row, followed by North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Idaho, Washington, Arizona, Colorado and Virginia round out the top 10 states for growth.
For the fourth year in a row, California reflected the largest net loss of one-way movers.
Other bottom-five states for growth are Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts. New York ranks 43rd.
U-Haul calculates growth states 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 that occur annually across the U.S. and Canada.
“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,” said John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president.
“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. Wherever DIY customers go, and whatever mobility and self-storage needs they have in 2024, U-Haul will be there with solutions.”
Texas is the No. 1 growth state for the sixth time in eight years (2016-18 and 2021-23) 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.
Florida remains equally appealing to new residents, netting almost as many one-way U-Haul customers as Texas in 2023. 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.
The biggest climbers year-over-year in the U-Haul growth rankings are Arkansas (+26 spots), Wyoming (+19), Vermont (+18), Washington (+16), Delaware (+12) and South Dakota (+12). The biggest fallers YOY are Oregon (-15 spots), Connecticut (-14), Pennsylvania (-14), Ohio (-14), Missouri (-13) and Indiana (-13).
From The Center Square:
U-Haul report places Illinois near the bottom of places people are moving to
(The Center Square) – A moving and storage company has released its annual migration trends data, which measures one-way customer moves through the U.S. in 2024, and once again Illinois is near the bottom.
U-Haul growth states are ranked by their net gain or loss of U-Haul customers over the past year. The report gauges how well states and cities are attracting and maintaining residents, with Illinois coming in 45th place. Illinois’ place on the list grew three spots from No. 48 in the 2023 report.
Texas District Vice President Matt Merrill said he sees a steady flow of Illinoisans into the Lone State State, which ranked second in the nation in the report.
“Nationally, we see a lot of customers moving out of our Blue states coming down to the south to the Red states,” said Merrill. “A lot of that has to do with pro-business and less government control. In Texas specifically, we see a lot of customers moving here from Illinois and the Chicago market.”
Merrill adds that the housing market is still very affordable in Texas. Illinoisans continue to pay the second-highest property taxes in the country.
District VP Jason Hardin said there is a reason South Carolina and North Carolina both ranked in the top three.
“They’re moving here because of jobs,” said Hardin. “We have a lot of tech coming in, manufacturing, such as Boeing, Volvo, BMW.”
Meanwhile, Illinois’ unemployment rate, at 5.3%, is one of the highest in the country.
According to U-Haul, South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee were the top five growth states for the year. Texas has ranked first or second among U-Haul Growth States each year since 2016. Florida has been fourth or higher every year since 2015.
“Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families gauge their cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors that go into relocating to a new state,” said John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president.
