Vermont is the No. 9 U.S. Growth State for 2016, according to the latest U-Haul migration trends report.

Vermont climbed seven spots from its No. 16 growth ranking for 2015. Year-over-year arrivals of one-way truck rentals jumped 8 percent last year in Vermont. Departures rose 4 percent as overall U-Haul traffic increased.

Arrivals accounted for 53 percent of U-Haul traffic in 2016. White River Junction, Rutland and Burlington paced Vermont in its net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks. White River Junction is the No. 2 U-Haul U.S. Growth City for locations with a population fewer than 10,000.

Follow the Top 10 Growth States daily countdown through Feb. 3 on Twitter @uhaul. View other migration trends reports, including the U.S. Growth Cities release, at myuhaulstory.com.

Growth States are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul truck rentals entering a state versus leaving a state during a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 1.7 million one-way U-Haul truck rental transactions that occur annually.

While migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, U-Haul growth data is an effective gauge of how well cities are attracting and maintaining residents.

“The majority of growth is in northern part of Vermont, and specifically toward the center of the state,” says Jim Blair, U-Haul Company of Western Mass and Vermont president. “Our neighborhood dealer network has grown. We’ve gained about 20 new dealers offering U-Haul rentals over the last two years.”

Vermont is home to more than 100 covered bridges and the largest concentration of sugar maple trees in the country. It has nearly 625,000 residents, according to latest U.S. Census estimate.

Find U-Haul stores and neighborhood dealers in Vermont at uhaul.com/locations.

U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The geographical coverage from more than 21,000 U-Haul locations, including neighborhood dealers and Company-owned and -operated stores, provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.

What They are Saying about Vermont

“I think what’s bringing people here is a very good quality of life. It may be little more expensive to live here, but the return on their investment is like nowhere else. The quality of relationships people can build here is unique. The old-fashioned sentiment of neighbors caring about neighbors has perhaps fallen by the wayside in some places, but it is alive here.” – Nate Dandrow, U-Haul area field manager and third-generation Vermont native

U-Haul Top 10 Growth States of 2016

10. Arkansas

9. Vermont

Be sure to follow the growth state countdown in the following days here on myuhaulstory.com!