Americans looking to pack all their stuff in a truck and move themselves to a new state overwhelmingly pointed their U-Haul toward Texas and Florida, the company said in its annual review of one-way rentals.
Where did they leave? For the sixth year in a row, they fled California.
“We continue to find that life circumstances—marriage, children, a death in the family, college, jobs and other events—dictate the need for most moves,” says John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president. “But other factors can be important to people who are looking to change their surroundings. In-migration states are often appealing to those customers.”
Sunshine and warm weather remain appealing to the moving public, based on the top 10 growth states. Eight of the top 10 states enjoy a southern geography. Six are in the Southeast, including four of the top five.
Conversely, eight of the bottom 10 states are northern states. Five of those out-migration markets are in the Northeast and three are in the Midwest.
Blue-to-red state migration, a hotly debated political topic that became more pronounced after the pandemic of 2020, continues to be a trend.
Seven of the top 10 growth states currently feature Republican governors, and nine of those states went red in the last presidential election.
Conversely, nine of the bottom 10 growth states feature Democrat governors, and seven of those states went blue in the last presidential election.
Texas reclaims the title of No. 1 U-Haul growth state for the seventh time in 10 years. It climbs one spot from its previous ranking behind South Carolina, which slides four spots after being the leading growth state for 2024.
Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee follow Texas as prime destinations.
It’s the same top five from 2024 and 2023, although in a different order. The top 10 also includes Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Alabama, and Georgia.
While California’s exodus of do-it-yourself movers was greater than any other state, it saw a smaller net loss in 2025 than in 2024. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois also rank among the bottom five on the index.
U-Haul ranks states by their net gain (or loss) of customers who rented a one-way truck, trailer or U-Box moving containers in one state and dropped off their equipment in another state.
The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from well over 2.5 million annual one-way transactions across the U.S. and Canada.
While rankings may not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is a gauge of how well states, metros, and cities are attracting and maintaining residents.
Oregon enjoys the largest year-over-year climb on the index, ranking 11th as a net-gain state in 2025 after ranking 34th as a net-loss state in 2024 — a jump of 23 positions. Other notable gainers include Mississippi (+18 spots), Colorado (+17), Nevada (+15), New Mexico (+15), Louisiana (+13), and Montana (+12).
Ohio has the largest YOY drop on the index, falling 29 positions to 43rd as a net-loss state in 2025 after ranking 14th as a net-gain state in 2024. Virginia (-19 spots), Indiana (-17), Iowa (-12), Delaware (-12), and Nebraska (-10) also see a double-digit drop in the rankings.
2025 U-Haul Growth States
| 1. | TEXAS (2) |
| 2. | FLORIDA (4) |
| 3. | NORTH CAROLINA (3) |
| 4. | TENNESSEE (5) |
| 5. | SOUTH CAROLINA (1) |
| 6. | WASHINGTON (7) |
| 7. | ARIZONA (6) |
| 8. | IDAHO (10) |
| 9. | ALABAMA (16) |
| 10. | GEORGIA (15) |
| 11. | OREGON (34) |
| 12. | MONTANA (24) |
| 13. | ARKANSAS (12) |
| 14. | OKLAHOMA (11) |
| 15. | MAINE (13) |
| 16. | UTAH (9) |
| 17. | KENTUCKY (25) |
| 18. | SOUTH DAKOTA (19) |
| 19. | MINNESOTA (18) |
| 20. | NEVADA (35) |
| 21. | MISSISSIPPI (39) |
| 22. | NEW MEXICO (37) |
| 23. | COLORADO (40) |
| 24. | VERMONT (20) |
| 25. | INDIANA (8) |
| 26. | WISCONSIN (22) |
| 27. | ALASKA (27) |
| 28. | HAWAII (26) |
| 29. | MISSOURI (28) |
| 30. | WYOMING (36) |
| 31. | LOUISIANA (44) |
| 32. | NEW HAMPSHIRE (33) |
| 33. | DELAWARE (21) |
| 34. | WEST VIRGINIA (30) |
| 35. | IOWA (23) |
| 36. | VIRGINIA (17) |
| 37. | KANSAS (32) |
| 38. | NORTH DAKOTA (31) |
| 39. | NEBRASKA (29) |
| 40. | RHODE ISLAND (38) |
| 41. | MICHIGAN (43) |
| 42. | CONNECTICUT (41) |
| 43. | OHIO (14) |
| 44. | PENNSYLVANIA (46) |
| 45. | MARYLAND (42) |
| 46. | MASSACHUSETTS (49) |
| 47. | NEW YORK (47) |
| 48. | NEW JERSEY (48) |
| 49. | ILLINOIS (45) |
| 50. | CALIFORNIA (50) |
| * 2024 rankings in parentheses |
