U-Haul 2016 Growth State No. 6: MAINE

Maine is the No. 6 U.S. Growth State for 2016, according to the latest U-Haul migration trends report.

Maine tiptoed up the chart three spots from its No. 9 growth ranking for 2015. Its year-over-year arrivals of one-way U-Haul truck rentals spiked 8 percent last year. Departures rose 7 percent as overall U-Haul traffic swelled among do-it-yourself movers across the state.

Arrivals accounted for 51.5 percent of U-Haul traffic in 2016 thanks to locations such as Auburn, Saco, Waterville and Brunswick, cities to pace Maine’s net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks. Auburn ranked 14th among U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities for locations with a population of 10,000 to 50,000.

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.

Duck Brook Bridge in Maine, the U-Haul No. 6 Growth State of 2016. Courtesy of Maine Office of Tourism

“We’re reaching a lot more customers across the state,” says Jon Hynes, U-Haul Company of Maine president and a lifelong Mainer. “We’ve opened facilities in Old Town, Bangor and Brunswick (since 2015). We’re working on an expansion in Saco. We’ve added neighborhood dealers, and we still need to add more. U-Haul is looking to expand operations to other cities and allow for more growth in the future.”

Find U-Haul stores and neighborhood dealers in Maine 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 provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.

What they are saying about Maine

“It really has all the aspects. The ocean, lakes and mountains make it a great outdoor sports state. It’s beautiful. We have a great seafood industry, potatoes, blueberries and, of course, cranberries.” – Jon Hynes, U-Haul Company of Maine president