FLORIDA: U-Haul No. 2 Growth State for 2017

Florida was the No. 2 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 rose 8 percent while departures rose 9 percent from Florida’s 2016 numbers. Some of the state’s considerable increase in overall U-Haul transactions can likely be attributed to an active hurricane season.

Despite the spike in outbound traffic, arriving trucks still accounted for 50.2 percent of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Florida to keep it entrenched as a top growth state. Florida also held the No. 2 growth ranking for 2016 after climbing from the No. 4 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. Arkansas, South Carolina and Tennessee rounded out the top five, and North Carolina ranked 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.

Miami, Kissimmee, Brandon, St. Cloud, Melbourne, Davenport, Boca Raton, Bradenton, Ft. Lauderdale and Panama City Beach paced Florida’s net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks. Find U-Haul stores and neighborhood dealers in Florida 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 Florida

“Florida has been showing signs of growth for more than five years. This area is really booming. I can’t think of any major suburb where there aren’t home developments popping up or new shopping centers being built. In Orlando, we have construction everywhere. The major freeways and highways are widening, and a lot of businesses are opening. There’s a certain comfort level for people moving here. They know there are jobs and new housing communities. We have a new soccer team and renovated stadiums. There are tons of attractions, and our state is very family-friendly. The weather is perfect and you’re less than an hour from the beach.” — Miguel Caminos, U-Haul Company of Orlando president

“I’m not surprised the Florida is the No. 2 Growth State, even after the hurricanes in 2017. We’re Floridians – we don’t leave. We sustained lots of damage, but our communities stick together. U-Haul banded together and gave free self-storage to affected residents. We also did some volunteer work in conjunction with city efforts. We are still cleaning up, but Florida is a close-knit state. Our neighbors are family.” — Cal Conner, U-Haul Company of Eastern Florida president

“Doral grew from 12,000 people in 2010 to approximately 58,000 in 2016. Miami grew approximately 13 percent from 2010 to 2016. You can see the growth in new businesses coming to the area and in the real estate development. Miami’s growth is evident in the amount of new restaurants and high-end shops. It is hard to believe that Miami is still growing when the real estate market is higher than other parts of the country, as well as the cost of living being high. But the answer may be found in the fact that South Florida pretty much has an eternal summer, and Floridians do not pay state taxes.” — Rainel Gonzalez, U-Haul Company of Miami president

“New home development, apartments and condominiums are being built at a fast pace. New communities being built in Odessa, just north of Tampa, have increased our demand for U-Haul products and services to serve new residents moving in. We have purchased property to build a new state-of-the-art moving and storage facility with covered and secured boat and RV storage in Odessa.” — Bob Magyar, U-Haul Company of Tampa president

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.