South Carolina moves up one spot to become the No. 3 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.
South Carolina arrivals of one-way U-Haul trucks were up 10 percent while departures also were up 10 percent from the state’s 2017 numbers. Arrivals still accounted for 50.5 percent of all one-way U-Haul traffic in South Carolina to make it the No. 3 state for netting do-it-yourself movers.
South Carolina was No. 4 for growth in 2017 after climbing from 22nd in 2016 and 17th in 2015.
Texas and Florida remain Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, for the third year in a row. 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 South Carolina
Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Cayce (part of Metro Columbia) pace South Carolina’s net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks. Mount Pleasant, Summerville, Spartanburg, Charleston and Florence are among other notable cities with net gains. Find U-Haul stores and neighborhood dealers in South Carolina 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.
