Tennessee is the No. 3 growth state in America, according to 2021 transactional data compiled for the annual U-Haul® Growth Index.
People coming to Tennessee in one-way U-Haul trucks increased 17% year-over-year, while departures increased 18% from 2020 as overall moving traffic surged.
Despite a more substantial YOY rise in departures, arriving customers still accounted for about 50.4% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Tennessee during 2021 to keep it a top-three state for netting do-it-yourself movers. After Tennessee was the nation’s leading growth state in 2020, it slips two spots behind Texas and Florida while remaining a prime destination.
Growth states are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a state versus leaving that state in a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from well over 2 million one-way U-Haul truck customer transactions that occur annually.
Local U-Haul Analysis
“Tennessee is a very friendly state with a welcoming atmosphere,” said Jeff Porter, U-Haul Company of North Nashville president. “We’re pro-business and attract tons of new employers every year. I’ve noticed many people from California and other big states setting their sights on Tennessee. Nashville is consistently gaining new residents and the COVID era hasn’t slowed that.”
South Carolina and Arizona round out the top five growth states. It is the second year in a row that Texas, Florida and Tennessee comprise the top three growth states.
California ranks 50th and Illinois 49th for the second consecutive year, indicating those states saw the largest net losses of one-way U-Haul trucks.
Tennessee Growth Cities
Tennessee’s top growth cities include Nashville, Johnson City, Murfreesboro and Maryville.
Other notable net-gain cities are Bristol, Mt. Juliet, Old Hickory, Brentwood, Knoxville, Columbia, Hermitage, Hendersonville, Ooltewah and La Vergne.
While U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states are both attracting and maintaining residents.
U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 provinces. The geographical coverage from more than 23,000 U-Haul truck- and trailer-sharing locations provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.
Independent small business owners interested in joining the U-Haul Dealer Network at no cost and earning commissions from rental transactions at their locations can visit uhaul.com/dealer to learn more and submit an information form.
