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.”
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).
2023 U-Haul Growth States
| 1. | TEXAS (1) |
| 2. | FLORIDA (2) |
| 3. | NORTH CAROLINA (4) |
| 4. | SOUTH CAROLINA (3) |
| 5. | TENNESSEE (6) |
| 6. | IDAHO (10) |
| 7. | WASHINGTON (23) |
| 8. | ARIZONA (7) |
| 9. | COLORADO (11) |
| 10. | VIRGINIA (5) |
| 11. | NEVADA (13) |
| 12. | VERMONT (30) |
| 13. | UTAH (12) |
| 14. | WYOMING (33) |
| 15. | DELAWARE (27) |
| 16. | NEW MEXICO (19) |
| 17. | ARKANSAS (43) |
| 18. | GEORGIA (8) |
| 19. | SOUTH DAKOTA (31) |
| 20. | MINNESOTA (17) |
| 21. | MONTANA (18) |
| 22. | ALABAMA (20) |
| 23. | OHIO (9) |
| 24. | IOWA (21) |
| 25. | HAWAII (–) |
| 26. | WISCONSIN (16) |
| 27. | INDIANA (14) |
| 28. | MISSOURI (15) |
| 29. | KENTUCKY (26) |
| 30. | WEST VIRGINIA (25) |
| 31. | MAINE (29) |
| 32. | NORTH DAKOTA (37) |
| 33. | KANSAS (39) |
| 34. | ALASKA (41) |
| 35. | NEBRASKA (32) |
| 36. | RHODE ISLAND (40) |
| 37. | OREGON (22) |
| 38. | PENNSYLVANIA (24) |
| 39. | MISSISSIPPI (34) |
| 40. | NEW HAMPSHIRE (38) |
| 41. | OKLAHOMA (42) |
| 42. | CONNECTICUT (28) |
| 43. | NEW YORK (46) |
| 44. | MARYLAND (44) |
| 45. | LOUISIANA (35) |
| 46. | MICHIGAN (48) |
| 47. | NEW JERSEY (45) |
| 48. | ILLINOIS (49) |
| 49. | MASSACHUSETTS (47) |
| 50. | CALIFORNIA (50) |
While U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states and cities are attracting and maintaining residents.
U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The geographical coverage from 23,000 U-Haul truck- and trailer-sharing locations provides a broad overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.
