Florida, Texas or bust: Top mover destinations
In its growth index report, U-Haul found more one-way truck customers moved to Southern and Southeastern states in 2022.
Key points:
- The report echoes other migration studies showing continued buyer interest in Sun Belt states.
- California and Illinois were at the bottom of the index for the third straight year.
When it comes to U-Haul trucks, more were rumbling to the South and Southeast than anywhere else in 2022.
The company's latest growth index report found Texas and Florida were the top two destinations for one-way truck customers in 2022 — the second year in a row they snagged the top spots. The Carolinas came in at number three and four, moving up in the ranks from the previous year, while Virginia rounded out the top five states with the highest inbound migration last year.
Movers continued to leave areas of the West Coast, Northeast and Midwest, with California and Illinois at the bottom of the growth index for the third straight year. Michigan, Massachusetts and New York were also among the least popular inbound markets in the growth index.
"We still have areas with strong demand for one-way rentals. While overall migration in 2021 was record-breaking, we continue to experience significant customer demand to move out of some geographic areas to destinations at the top of our growth list," said John "J.T." Taylor, U-Haul International president in a Jan. 3 news release.
The report echoes other recent migration studies:
North American Moving Services' 2022 Moving Migration Report found that the Carolinas, Tennessee and Sun Belt states were among the top inbound states, while Illinois and California were the top outbound states.
Redfin reported in December that more people were moving to the Sun Belt regions, attracted by relatively affordable prices. It noted that 8 of the 10 most popular destinations were more affordable than where people were moving from.
A moveBuddha report found similar trends but noted that migration to regions across the southern U.S. could start slowing down as prices continue to climb.
While the share of people relocating remained at around record highs according to the Redfin report, the overall number of people relocating is down, likely due to elevated mortgage rates that have caused buyers to delay moves.
In the U-Haul Growth Index report, the total number of do-it-yourself moves slowed slightly in most states after a record-breaking 2021. The company used data from its 23,000 truck- and trailer-sharing locations.