Texas, Florida Saw Most Growth in 2021, Says U-Haul

“Migration to southern states continues to be magnified by the lingering pandemic, and no state netted more U-Haul® customers during the last year than Texas,” according to U-Haul International.

Texas reclaims the No. 1 growth state status it held from 2016-18. It ranked second to Florida in 2019 and Tennessee in 2020.” The Lone Star State saw the biggest growth as defined by the net gain of U-Haul trucks entering versus leaving the state. “Indiana, Colorado, Maine, Idaho and New Mexico round out the top 10 growth states of 2021 as self-movers target the Southeast, Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions as their destinations of choice.”

California and Illinois were 50th and 49th respectively, mirroring those states’ population losses. Notably, the article points out that California’s net loss of U-Haul trucks may have been less severe in 2021 than 2020 simply because U-Haul couldn’t rent out sufficient trucks to meet the demand. “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 cities are both attracting and maintaining residents.”