ARKANSAS: U-Haul No. 3 Growth State for 2017

Arkansas was the No. 3 Growth State for 2017, according to U-Haul data analyzing the past year’s U.S. migration trends.

Year-over-year arrivals of one-way U-Haul truck rentals held steady while departures dropped by 1 percent from Arkansas’s 2016 numbers.

Arriving trucks accounted for 50.9 percent of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Arkansas to maintain its status a top-10 growth state. Arkansas secured the No. 10 growth ranking for 2016 and the No. 8 ranking for 2015.

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.

Texas was the No. 1 Growth State for the second year in a row. Florida ranked second, South Carolina fourth, Tennessee fifth and North Carolina seventh, continuing a strong growth movement in the Southeast. California overtook Illinois on the list as the biggest net-loss state.

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

Benton and Conway paced Arkansas’s net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks. Bentonville, Centerton, Fayetteville and Hot Springs Village were among other notable cities to record strong net gains. Find U-Haul stores and neighborhood dealers in Arkansas 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’re Saying about Arkansas

“Arkansas has been steadily growing for the last five years. Little Rock and North Little Rock are battling for residents. The Arkansas River splits the two cities and there is a movement to revamp neighborhoods in order to get people to move to either side. There are a lot of high-rises being converted into living spaces, and the River Market District is booming.” — Andrew Hicks, U-Haul Company of Arkansas president

“I’ve seen growth across the state, but specifically in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers area. Between 2013 and 2017, there were reports that 25 people a day were moving into this market. The Walmart home office is in Bentonville and there are reports that they are building a new, modern home here. …I’m not surprised by the ranking. I’ve watched the growth firsthand over my 36-year career with U-Haul. Arkansas has so much to offer and we have people coming from all over the world to live here. It’s a diverse place to call home.” — Jim Smith, U-Haul Company of Tulsa president (serving NW Arkansas)

U-Haul Growth State Rankings for 2017

1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Arkansas
4. South Carolina
5. Tennessee
6. Washington
7. North Carolina
8. Connecticut
9. Colorado
10. Vermont
11. Alabama
12. Iowa
13. Virginia
14. Idaho
15. West Virginia
16. Nebraska
17. Indiana
18. Delaware
19. New Mexico
20. Wisconsin
21. Utah
22. Wyoming
23. Mississippi
24. Oklahoma
25. Montana
26. Maine
27. South Dakota
28. Washington D.C.
29. Kentucky
30. Missouri
31. New Hampshire
32. Oregon
33. Nevada
34. Ohio
35. Minnesota
36. Alaska
37. North Dakota
38. Kansas
39. Rhode Island
40. Louisiana
41. Georgia
42. Maryland
43. Arizona
44. New York
45. New Jersey
46. Massachusetts
47. Michigan
48. Pennsylvania
49. Illinois
50. California

* Washington, D.C. is its own U-Haul territory and is listed among states for migration purposes. Hawaii is not included since state-to-state truck rentals are not applicable.