No. 1 Fla. Beats Texas in U-Haul Movers Survey

Florida welcomed more than tourists in 2019. It had the largest number of U-Haul moving trucks entering its borders versus exiting them, making it the No. 1 do-it-yourself mover state for the first time in four years. Florida held the No. 2 spot for the past four years in the shadow of Texas, but in 2019 those roles reversed.

North Carolina, South Carolina and Washington round out the top five growth states for 2019.

In addition, seven Fla. cities made U-Haul’s top 25 list for growth, with five ranking in the top 10 for total number of DIY movers (arrivals minus departures). Raleigh-Durham, N.C., ranked first, followed by No. 2 Kissimmee and No. 3 Ocala.

Illinois held the bottom of the movers list, No. 50, with more departures than arrivals, with California just above it. It’s the fourth time in five years that Illinois has held the bottom spot.

While moving companies often release their own data on residential moves, the cost of renting a U-Haul is significantly less than paying for full-service movers. As a result, the U-Haul survey generates a different type of moving data.

U-Haul calculates growth states by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a state versus leaving that state during a single calendar year. Migration trends data is then compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck-sharing transactions that occur annually. Although 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 and states are attracting and maintaining residents willing to engage in a DIY move.

Florida growth rates

“Florida has been showing signs of growth for a decade,” says Miguel Caminos, U-Haul Company of Orlando president. “Central Florida is really booming. I can’t think of any major suburb where there aren’t home developments or new shopping centers being built. There’s an expectation of comfort for people moving here. They know there are jobs. Plus, there are tons of attractions, and our state is family-friendly. The weather is perfect, and no matter where you live, you’re less than an hour from the beach.”

Florida arrivals of one-way U-Haul trucks increased 1% while departures were down 1% compared to the state’s 2018 numbers. Arrivals accounted for 50.6% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in the state.

Kissimmee, Ocala, West Palm Beach, Port Saint Lucie and the Bradenton-Sarasota corridor lead Florida’s gains. Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, Pensacola, Miami and St. Petersburg are among the other notable cities to see a net increase of U-Haul trucks.

2019 U-Haul growth cities

1. Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
2. Kissimmee, Fla. (10 in 2018)
3. Ocala, Fla.
4. Round Rock-Pflugerville, Texas
5. West Palm Beach, Fla.
6. Port Saint Lucie, Fla. (21 in 2018)
7. Bradenton-Sarasota, Fla. (17 in 2018)
8. Coeur D’Alene, Idaho
9. Manhattan, N.Y. (3 in 2018)
10. Harrisburg, Pa. (4 in 2018)
11. New Braunfels, Texas
12. Auburn-Opelika, Ala.
13. Huntsville, Ala.
14. Spring-The Woodlands, Texas (2 in 2018)
15. Boca Raton, Fla.
16. Henderson, Nev.
17. McKinney, Texas (11 in 2018)
18. Temecula, Calif. (19 in 2018)
19. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (8 in 2018)
20. St. George, Utah (15 in 2018)
21. Murfreesboro, Tenn.
22. National City, Calif.
23. Chandler, Ariz.
24. Wilmington, N.C.
25. Santa Barbara, Calif.

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