Ocala is the top growth city in America based on the net gain of one-way U-Haul® trucks during the past year, and four Florida destinations are among the top 25 on the annual U-Haul Growth Index.
It is the third consecutive year that a Florida city has topped the U-Haul growth rankings. The Kissimmee-St. Cloud corridor earned that honor in 2021. North Port was No. 1 for 2020.
U-Haul transactional data reveals Ocala saw a 6% year-over-year increase in arrivals and only a 1% increase in departures. Do-it-yourself movers arriving in Ocala accounted for more than 53% of all one-way U-Haul truck traffic in and out of the market (47% departures).
The Sacramento-Roseville (Calif.) market and Madison (Wis.) rank second and third on the 2022 growth cities list, respectively. Both have held the No. 1 ranking in recent years.
Rounding out the top 10 growth cities are Palm Bay-Melbourne (Fla.); Auburn-Opelika (Ala.); North Port, (Fla.); Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach (S.C.); Surprise (Ariz.); Huntsville (Ala.); and Charleston-North Charleston (S.C.).
St. Louis, Raleigh-Durham and Nashville are among some of the more notable growth markets to also crack the top 25.
“Florida had a number of top growth cities, Ocala being No. 1,” stated Ed Hatcher, U-Haul Area District Vice President who oversees Company operations across northern Florida. “A lot of that has to do with the small-town feel and everything being extremely close for people to get to.”
Hatcher added the Ocala market may receive U-Haul trucks from people moving to neighboring communities like The Villages, Leesburg, and Orlando suburbs such as Clermont, which reflects positively for the entire area.
The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled according to the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks arriving in a city or state, versus departing from that city or state, in a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck transactions that occur annually across the U.S. and Canada.
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 cities and states are attracting and maintaining residents. Visit myuhaulstory.com to view the U-Haul top 50 growth state rankings of 2022 and find individual press releases for the top 10 growth states.
2022 U-Haul Growth Cities
| 1. | OCALA, FL (24) |
| 2. | SACRAMENTO-ROSEVILLE, CA (8) |
| 3. | MADISON, WI (5) |
| 4. | PALM BAY-MELBOURNE, FL (3) |
| 5. | AUBURN-OPELIKA, AL (23) |
| 6. | NORTH PORT, FL (4) |
| 7. | MYRTLE BEACH-NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (17) |
| 8. | SURPRISE, AZ (18) |
| 9. | HUNTSVILLE, AL |
| 10. | CHARLESTON-NORTH CHARLESTON, SC |
| 11. | ST. LOUIS, MO |
| 12. | ATHENS, GA |
| 13. | MISSOURI CITY, TX |
| 14. | RALEIGH-DURHAM, NC (2) |
| 15. | RICHARDSON, TX (22) |
| 16. | FORT COLLINS, CO |
| 17. | HENDERSON, NV |
| 18. | RENO, NV |
| 19. | CONROE, TX |
| 20. | WEST CHESTER, OH |
| 21. | LAKELAND, FL |
| 22. | NASHVILLE, TN |
| 23. | NOBLESVILLE, IN |
| 24. | HENRICO, VA |
| 25. | SANDY SPRINGS, GA |
2021 growth rankings in parentheses, if ranked
PLUS FIVE more notable cities that just missed the cut, but posted big growth numbers in 2022:
| Atlanta, GA |
| Minneapolis, MN |
| Miami, FL |
| Milwaukee, WI |
| San Diego, CA |
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 23,000 U-Haul truck- and trailer-sharing locations provides a broad overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.
Small business owners who are interested in joining the U-Haul Dealer Network at no cost and earning commissions from U-Haul rental transactions can visit uhaul.com/dealer to learn more and submit information to be contacted by a local representative.
