Indiana secures its status as a growth state for the third consecutive year, climbing to the No. 9 Growth State in America, according to U-Haul® data analyzing U.S. migration trends for 2019.
Indiana is up 17 spots from its No. 26 ranking in 2018. It was 17th for growth in 2017.
Florida leapfrogs Texas as the top growth state for 2019, ending the Lone Star State’s three-year run atop the rankings for 2016-18. Florida rises one spot after being No. 2 for growth the previous three years. North Carolina jumps 21 spots to third on the list, with South Carolina and Washington rounding out the top five.
Illinois and California lead the way in out-migration with the largest net losses of moving trucks crossing their borders.
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.
Migration Trends Data
Indiana arrivals of one-way U-Haul trucks were down 4%, but departures were down 5% compared to the state’s 2018 numbers. Despite the drop in overall moving traffic, a larger portion of the one-way U-Haul traffic in Indiana was arrivals – 50.2% – to make it the No. 9 state for netting do-it-yourself movers.
“The low cost of doing business here is a major draw,” stated Patrick Cheek, U-Haul Company of Central Indiana president. “People are moving to Indiana to create jobs. The opportunities for growth and innovation are never-ending. The Indianapolis metro area is a population magnet. People of all walks of life can see themselves living in Indiana.”
The Southeast accounts for four of the top six growth states with Alabama’s climb to No. 6, while Utah and Vermont repeated as top-10 entries. Illinois sits 50th for the fourth time in five years, outpacing No. 47 Massachusetts, No. 48 Michigan and No. 49 California for the most net departures.
Visit myuhaulstory.com to view the complete state rankings, as well as the top U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities (to be released Jan. 7) and Canadian Growth Cities (Jan. 8).
Indiana in Growth Mode
Greenwood and Noblesville lead Indiana’s gains. Muncie, Michigan City, Carmel, Mishawaka, West Lafayette and Jeffersonville are among other notable cities to see a net increase of U-Haul trucks.
Although U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the Company’s growth data is an effective gauge of how well cities and states are attracting and maintaining residents.
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 22,000 U-Haul truck- and trailer-sharing locations provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.
