Texas ranks second in U-Haul’s list of ‘Growth States’

2020 Migration Trends: TEXAS is the U-Haul No. 2 Growth State

(Jan. 4, 2021) — Texas is the No. 2 growth state in America, according to U-Haul® data analyzing migration patterns from 2020.

Tennessee edges Texas, the leading growth state from 2016-18, and Florida, the No. 1 growth state for 2019, for top honors on the new U-Haul chart. Texas has been a top-two growth state each of the past five years.

Growth states are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a state versus leaving that state during a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck-sharing transactions that occur annually.

Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia round out the top 10 growth states, creating a 2020 stronghold for the Southeast and Southwest regions in attracting do-it-yourself movers.

California slides one position to 50th as the state with the steepest out-migration – or the largest net loss of U-Haul trucks crossing its border. New York ranks 42nd. Illinois is 49th.

People coming to Texas in one-way U-Haul trucks increased 9% during the past year, while departures rose 10% from 2019. Despite the larger rise in departures, arrivals still accounted for 50.2% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Texas during 2020 to make it the No. 2 state for netting DIY movers.

“Texas is a beast in terms of population growth,” said Sean McMullen, U-Haul Company of South Austin president. “Tons of new residents are moving here from the West Coast. I talk to customers every day from California, Oregon and Washington. They want a change in scenery, but they want to maintain their lifestyles. COVID-19 has been a struggle, but it doesn’t seem to slow people from moving into Texas.”

Texas’s leading growth cities include Tyler, Conroe, Longview, Richardson, Kingwood, College Station, the Round Rock/Pflugerville corridor, and Arlington.

Other notable net-gain cities are San Marcos, Pharr, New Braunfels, the Spring/The Woodlands corridor, Cypress, Katy, Abilene and McKinney.

“Texas is a wonderful state full of diverse cultures and inviting people. We have a little bit of everything, from big cities to wide-open country,” said Kevin Harless, U-Haul Company of East Dallas president. “I’m not surprised Texas continues to rank high on our growth state list. As a seventh generation Texan, I completely understand why other people would want to live here.

“In the past nine years that I’ve been a marketing company president, I’ve seen the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, specifically, grow with many U-Haul centers, local small businesses joining our neighborhood dealer program, and the hiring of new Team Members. The growth I see here is something I’ve never seen in my 40 years in this area.”

Visit myuhaulstory.com to view the top 50 growth states and top 25 U.S. growth cities for 2020, as well as the top 25 Canadian growth cities.

While U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the Company’s growth data is an effective gauge of how well cities are attracting and maintaining residents.

U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The geographical coverage from more than 22,000 U-Haul truck- and trailer-sharing locations provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry. Find local U-Haul stores and neighborhood dealers at uhaul.com/locations.

As an essential service provider, U-Haul has remained open throughout the COVID-19 outbreak while offering contactless programs and enhanced cleaning protocols, including added steps for sanitizing equipment between customer transactions. U-Haul products are used daily by First Responders; delivery companies bringing needed supplies to people’s homes; small businesses trying to remain afloat; college students; and countless other dependent groups, in addition to the household mover. Visit uhaul.com/announcement for more information on how U-Haul keeps its customers and Team Members safe.

Submitted press release, edited for publication in Blue Ribbon News.

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