South Carolina Leads Country in People Moving in, U-Haul Says

U-Haul, one of the best-known providers of trucks, vans and moving supplies, also tracks where that equipment is being used. And in 2024, Southeastern states led the nation, with South Carolina ranking as the state with largest number of customers.

Other leading states in the company’s index were Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee, U-Haul said in a news release. Rankings are compiled according to the net gain or loss of one-way U-Haul customers who moved into or out of a state in 2024.

California experienced the greatest net loss of do-it-yourself movers in U-Haul equipment and ranks 50th for the fifth consecutive year.

The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and moving container transactions that occur annually, the company noted.

“State-to-state transactions from the past year reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time,” stated John Taylor, president of U-Haul International. “Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families gauge their cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors that go into relocating to a new state. Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast — and particularly California.”

South Carolina climbed three spots in the rankings to unseat Texas, which was the No. 1 growth state for the previous three years. Of all the U-Haul movers coming and going from the Palmetto State in 2024, more than 51.7% were arrivals.

Florida has been fourth or higher every year since 2015.

New York, at No. 47 on the list, had its lowest growth ranking in a decade.