Southern states, led by South Carolina, have drawn the most one-way U-Haul customers, suggesting the region is a favorite destination for those relocating.
In 2024, South Carolina moved up three spots in the U-Haul ranking this year, to edge out Texas, which was the top growth state for the previous three years and has been first or second on the list every year since 2016. More than 51.7% of U-Haul movers coming and going from South Carolina were arrivals, the ranking found.
Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee rounded out the five leading growth states for 2024, said U-Haul. Florida has been among the top four states on the ranking every year since 2015.
Meanwhile, one-way U-Haul rentals to California experienced the greatest net loss, putting the state at the bottom of the company’s ranking for the fifth year in a row. New York ranked 47th on the list with its lowest growth ranking in 10 years.
The U-Haul Growth Index encompasses more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and container transactions annually.
“State-to-state transactions from the past year reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time,” said John 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.”
Oklahoma, Indiana and Maine were the biggest risers year-over-year on the growth index, while Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming and New Mexico saw the biggest drops in 2024.
A recent study by North American Moving Services also found strong migration to southern states, with North Carolina cities like Greenville, Charlotte and Raleigh, as well as Nashville and Dallas ranking among the top destinations for movers. The only highly ranked destination that was not a Southern state was Idaho, the study found.
Quality of life and affordable housing were the primary motivators for movers in North American Moving Services’ study. Remote jobs that allow employees to work from home at lower cost boosted this migration trend, although mid-sized cities like Charlotte, Nashville and Dallas benefit from hybrid and in-office work opportunities, the study said.
California and Illinois were the top outbound states, along with Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington. Higher-income taxes may be a contributing factor, the study said.