U-Haul Growth Survey:

NY Drops Four Places

New York is the No. 43 Growth State in America, slipping four places from 2018, according to U-Haul® data analyzing U.S. migration trends for 2019.

New York backslides four spots from its No. 39 ranking a year ago, registering as a slight net-loss state for procuring U-Haul truck customers. It ranked in the same vicinity the previous two years – 44th in 2017 and 35th in 2016 – after climbing to the No. 7 state for growth back in 2015.

Although U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the company’s growth data has been found to be an effective gauge of how well cities and states are attracting and maintaining residents.

Florida leapfrogs Texas as the top growth state for 2019, ending the Lone Star State’s three-year run atop the rankings for 2016-18. Florida rises one spot after being No. 2 for growth the previous three years. North Carolina jumps 21 spots to third on the list, with South Carolina and Washington rounding out the top five.

Illinois and California lead the way in out-migration with the largest net losses of moving trucks crossing their borders.

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.

New York arrivals of one-way U-Haul truck were up 1% while departures increased 2% compared to the state’s 2018 numbers. Arrivals accounted for 49.8% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in New York to make it the No. 43 state for netting do-it-yourself movers.

The Southeast accounts for four of the top six growth states with Alabama’s climb to No. 6, while Utah and Vermont maintain their status as top-10 growth states. Illinois sits 50th for the fourth time in five years, outpacing No. 47 Massachusetts, No. 48 Michigan and No. 49 California for the greatest net loss of U-Haul truck customers.