Vermont is a top-10 growth state for the fourth year in a row, registering as the No. 10 Growth State in America, according to U-Haul® data analyzing U.S. migration trends for 2019.
Vermont fell three spots from its No. 7 ranking a year ago, but continues to be among the country’s top states for growth. It also ranked No. 10 in 2017 and ninth in 2016.
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
Vermont arrivals of one-way U-Haul trucks were down 2% while departures were down 1% compared to the state’s 2018 numbers. Despite the drop in overall moving traffic, arrivals still accounted for 51.7% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Vermont to make it the No. 10 state for netting do-it-yourself movers.
“I think people are moving to Vermont because of the expectation of a good quality of life,” noted Jerry Ouellette, U-Haul Company of Western Massachusetts and Vermont president. “It may be a little more expensive to live here, but the return on their investment is like nowhere else. There is an old-fashioned sentiment of neighbors caring about neighbors that has fallen by the wayside in some other places. Vermont is unique, and people are noticing.”
The Southeast accounts for four of the top six growth states with Alabama’s climb to No. 6, while Utah joined Vermont in maintaining its top-10 status. 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).
Vermont in Growth Mode
Burlington leads Vermont’s gains. Rutland and Newport 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.
