Missouri is the No. 5 U.S. Growth State for 2016, according to the latest U-Haul migration trends report.
Missouri climbed 13 spots from its No. 18 ranking on the 2015 growth states list. Its year-over-year arrivals of one-way U-Haul truck rentals rose 6 percent last year. Departures went up 5 percent as overall U-Haul traffic increased among do-it-yourself movers in the state.
Arrivals accounted for 50.4 percent of U-Haul traffic in Missouri in 2016. St. Louis, Liberty, Dardenne Prairie, Warsaw and St. Charles paced the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks.
St. Louis is 34th among U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities for locations with a population of more than 50,000 due to a 5 percent increase in year-over-year arrivals. 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.
St. Louis skyline in Missouri, the U-Haul No. 5 Growth State of 2016. Courtesy of Explore St. Louis
“Downtown St. Louis has been revitalized,” says Steve Langford, U-Haul Company of St. Louis president. “Many loft-style apartments, bars, retail stores and grocery stores are catering to a younger generation. In response to these urban developments, businesses are growing, expanding and evolving.”
Last year, U-Haul opened stores in several cities including Kansas City, Lake St. Louis and Florissant. Find U-Haul stores and neighborhood dealers in Missouri 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 Missouri
“Missouri is a beautiful state and a great place to raise children. We have Midwest manners and hardworking people. People in Missouri like to move their own goods. They know U-Haul is the economic and convenient way to do that. … In terms of growth, Cerner® brings in a lot of work for Missouri. Kansas is building a huge Amazon® warehouse, which will most likely bring in more people for Missouri as well.” — Gary Wittkopp, U-Haul Company of Northern Kansas president (territory includes parts of Missouri, namely Kansas City)
“Missouri is a great place to live. It is always trying to get new jobs to the state. We split our St. Louis marketing company because there was so much growth. We continue to buy properties for our new U-Haul stores with self-storage to meet customer demand. … Since the (NFL’s) Rams left, St. Louis has begun the process of getting a pro soccer team. A stadium has been proposed. There is huge support for soccer here. As the popularity grows for the sport in America, St. Louis will get a team.” — Steve Langford, U-Haul Company of St. Louis president
U-Haul Top 10 Growth States of 2016
10. Arkansas
9. Vermont
8. Louisiana
7. Idaho
6. Maine
5. Missouri
Be sure to follow the growth state countdown in the following days here on myuhaulstory.com!
