Texas and Florida Top U.S. Destinations for One-Way U-Haul Trailer Rentals in 2023

More people moved to Texas via U-Haul one-way trailer rental than any other state in 2023. It was the third consecutive year that Texas was the top destination for one-way trailer rentals, according to the U-Haul Growth Index. Florida ranked second behind Texas among growth states for the third consecutive year, followed by North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. U-Haul ranks growth states each year based on more than 2.5 million one-way customer transactions.

Idaho, Washington, Arizona, Colorado and Virginia rounded out the top 10 states for growth.

For the fourth year in a row, California reflected the largest net loss of one-way movers. Other bottom-five states on the growth index were Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts. New York ranked No. 43.

U-Haul calculates growth states by each state's net gain (or loss) of one-way equipment from customer transactions in a calendar year. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box moving container transactions that occur annually across the U.S. and Canada.

"While one-way transactions in 2023 remained below the record-breaking levels we witnessed immediately following the pandemic, we continued to see many of the same geographical trends from U-Haul customers moving between states," said John "J.T." Taylor, U-Haul International president. "Migration to states in the Southeast and Southwest is still very pronounced. Demand for one-way equipment out of certain markets in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast mirrors what we have seen during recent moving cycles."

Texas is the No. 1 growth state for the sixth time in eight years (2016-18 and 2021-23) and has ranked no lower than second on the U-Haul Growth Index throughout that stretch. DIY movers arriving in Texas accounted for 50.4 percent of all one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of Texas (49.6 percent departures) to keep it the leading growth state.

Florida remains equally appealing to new residents, netting almost as many one-way U-Haul customers as Texas in 2023. The Sunshine State has been a top-four growth state for nine years in a row. Florida topped the U-Haul Growth Index in 2019.

The biggest climbers year-over-year in the U-Haul growth rankings are Arkansas (+26 spots), Wyoming (+19), Vermont (+18), Washington (+16), Delaware (+12) and South Dakota (+12). The biggest fallers year over year are Oregon (-15 spots), Connecticut (-14), Pennsylvania (-14), Ohio (-14), Missouri (-13) and Indiana (-13).

While U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states and cities are attracting and maintaining residents. U-Haul is an authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The geographical coverage from 23,000 U-Haul truck- and trailer-sharing locations provides a broad overview of where people are moving. Find a U-Haul location at uhaul.com/locations.

2023 U-Haul Growth States

2022 growth rankings in parentheses