Top five states in latest “U-Haul Growth Index” call the South home
Four Tennessee cities ranks among the Top 25 - one (Nashville) in the growth metro category and three that are non-growth metros.
The trend of southern states netting larger numbers of one-way U-Haul® customers continued during 2024, with South Carolina topping the “U-Haul Growth Index” for the first time. Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee round out the five leading growth states.
California experienced the greatest net loss of do-it-yourself movers in U-Haul equipment and ranks 50th for the fifth consecutive year.
Growth rankings are configured by each state’s net gain (or loss) of customers utilizing one-way U-Haul equipment in a calendar year. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from well over 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box® moving container transactions that occur annually.
“State-to-state transactions from the past year reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time,” stated John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International President. “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. Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast — and particularly California. U-Haul continues to expand its network, rental fleet and self-storage footprint so that wherever people move in 2025, we will be there to meet their needs.”
South Carolina climbed three spots in the rankings to unseat Texas, which was the #1 growth state for the previous three years (2021-23). Of all the U-Haul movers coming and going from the Palmetto State in 2024, more than 51.7 percent were arrivals.
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.
New York, at No. 47 on the list, has its lowest growth ranking in a decade.
In terms of U-Haul Growth Metros in 2024, Nashville placed #6 behind Dallas, TX (#1); Charlotte, NC (#2); Phoenix, AZ (#3); Lakeland, FL (#4); and Austin, TX (#5).
U-Haul also announced its top 25 U.S. growth cities to recognize city propers (outside the leading growth metros) that are netting the most one-way U-Haul customers. In that ranking, three Tennessee cities placed in the Top 25. Knoxville was #7, Johnson City placed #9, and Cookeville ranked #13.
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