Maine jumps 16 spots to become the No. 10 Growth State in America, according to U-Haul® data analyzing U.S. migration trends for 2018.
Growth States are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a state versus leaving that state during a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck sharing transactions that occur annually.
Maine arrivals of one-way U-Haul trucks were up 3 percent while departures held steady from the state’s 2017 numbers. Arrivals accounted for 50.5 percent of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Maine to make it the No. 10 state for netting do-it-yourself movers.
Maine was a virtual break-even state in 2017, registering in the middle of the pack at No. 26, but it returned to a being a definitive net-gain state in 2018. Maine was also a top-10 growth state in 2016 (No. 6) and 2015 (No. 9).
Texas and Florida remain Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, for the third year in a row. South Carolina, Utah and Idaho round out the top five states for growth in 2018.
Illinois ranks 50th for the third time in four years with the most net departures of U-Haul trucks, outpacing No. 48 California and No. 49 Michigan among out-migration states.
Visit myuhaulstory.com to view the complete state rankings, as well as the top U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities (to be released Jan. 3) and Canadian Growth Cities (Jan. 4) for 2018.
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.
Migration Trends in Maine
Ellsworth, Augusta and Auburn pace Maine’s net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks. Rockland, Rumford and Brunswick are among other notable cities with net gains. 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 truck and trailer sharing locations provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.
