Texas, Florida again top U-Haul ‘Growth Index’

Texas and Florida once again lead the list of U.S. states that the most people are moving to, according to an analysis by U-Haul. 

The moving company, which reviewed more than 2.5 million one-way transactions across the U.S. and Canada for its 2025 “Growth Index,” said Texas tops the ranks of in-migration states, followed by Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina. The states with the most people leaving are California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. 

“Blue-to-red state migration, a hotly debated political topic that became more pronounced after the pandemic of 2020, continues to be a discernable trend,” U-Haul said. “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,” it added. 

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U-Haul also said sunshine and warm weather appear to be a motivating factor for movers, as eight of the top 10 in-migration states are based in the south. 

“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,” according to U-Haul. “The top 10 also includes Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Alabama and Georgia.” 

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U-Haul said it ranked the 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.” 

“While rankings may not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states, metros and cities are attracting and maintaining residents,” the company continued. 

It also said Oregon, which ranked 11th in 2025 among net-gain states, saw the largest increase in its position, improving 23 spots compared to 2024. Meanwhile, Ohio experienced the biggest decrease, falling from 14th last year to 43rd this year. 

“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,” U-Haul said.