The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, better known as the DFW Metroplex, is the leading U-Haul Growth Metro of 2024.
Charlotte, Phoenix, Lakeland and Austin complete the top five U.S. growth metros, meaning they saw the largest net gains of U-Haul® customers taking one-way equipment into and out of metro areas last year.
This marks the first year that metros have been part of the do-it-yourself moving company’s annual growth reports and rankings. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from well over 2.5 million one-way truck, trailer and U-Box® portable moving container transactions that occur annually in the U.S. and Canada.
“We are seeing unprecedented growth in the Dallas metro area, both within the city and also suburbs like McKinney, Plano and Addison,” said Sean Fullerton, U-Haul Company of South Central Dallas president. “The cost of living is also extremely reasonable throughout the whole metro. Job growth has led to wages and earnings going up, and tax breaks have led to a lot of people moving to the area.”
Press release: U-Haul Ranks Top 50 Growth States of 2024
Florida boasts seven of the top 25 growth metros, with Lakeland joined by Palm Bay, Jacksonville, Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Daytona Beach.
Texas had five metros make the cut. North Carolina had three, all in the top 14.
2024 Top 25 U-Haul Growth Metros
| 1. Dallas, TX |
| 2. Charlotte, NC |
| 3. Phoenix, AZ |
| 4. Lakeland, FL |
| 5. Austin, TX |
| 6. Nashville, TN |
| 7. Raleigh, NC |
| 8. Palm Bay, FL |
| 9. Houston, TX |
| 10. Greenville, SC |
| 11. Jacksonville, FL |
| 12. Tampa, FL |
| 13. Charleston, SC |
| 14. Wilmington, NC |
| 15. Sarasota, FL |
| 16. Fort Myers, FL |
| 17. Boise, ID |
| 18. Richmond, VA |
| 19. Bend, OR |
| 20. Indianapolis, IN |
| 21. Brownsville & McAllen, TX |
| 22. Tyler, TX |
| 23. Daytona Beach, FL |
| 24. Spokane, WA |
| 25. Springdale, AR |
Ocala Tops Growth Cities List
U-Haul also announced its top 25 U.S. growth cities to recognize city propers (outside the leading growth metros) that are netting the most one-way U-Haul customers.
Ocala tops that list for the second time after ranking first in 2022 and second in 2023. It is the fifth consecutive year a Florida destination has headlined the U-Haul growth city rankings.
“There are two main reasons people are moving to Ocala,” said Brady Rome, U-Haul Company of Gainesville president. “The primary reason is cost of living, simply being that it’s lower than almost anywhere in the state. It allows housing to be a more affordable option for families packing up their U-Haul and moving to central Florida. The second reason is the job market, which remains strong with the addition of so many manufacturing jobs. The healthcare industry has also seen massive growth in the past year and is a driving force of employment. And you can’t go without mentioning Ocala is the ‘Horse Capital of the World.’ The equestrian center is huge and continues to bring people here.”
The Sunshine State has five of the top 25 growth cities. Tennessee, Washington and Alabama each have three. Virginia boasts two of the top four cities, Fredericksburg and Lorton, both located within 50 miles of Washington, D.C.
2024 Top 25 U-Haul Growth Cities (city propers outside the leading metros)
| 1. Ocala, FL |
| 2. Fredericksburg, VA |
| 3. Kissimmee, FL |
| 4. Lorton, VA |
| 5. Myrtle Beach, SC |
| 6. College Station, TX |
| 7. Knoxville, TN |
| 8. Tukwila, WA |
| 9. Johnson City, TN |
| 10. Foley, AL |
| 11. Spartanburg, SC |
| 12. Auburn, AL |
| 13. Cookeville, TN |
| 14. Huntsville, AL |
| 15. Clermont, FL |
| 16. Iowa City, IA |
| 17. Tacoma, WA |
| 18. Port St. Lucie, FL |
| 19. Vancouver, WA |
| 20. Missoula, MT |
| 21. Panama City, FL |
| 22. Madison, WI |
| 23. Corvallis, OR |
| 24. Concord, NH |
| 25. Kingman, AZ |
While U-Haul rankings may not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states, metros and cities 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 23,000-plus U-Haul rental locations provides a broad overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.
U-Haul continues to benefit the environment through its shared-use business model. Truck and trailer sharing empowers communities to share moving equipment so that families and individuals don’t need to own large-capacity vehicles to transfer belongings. Sustainability initiatives like U-Haul Adaptive Reuse (the preserving and repurposing of existing buildings for new stores), truck modifications to improve fuel economy, and plastic Ready-To-Go Boxes® that are shared hundreds of times before being recycled are among the ways U-Haul promotes green business. U-Box Load Share, the Company’s latest sustainability program, continues to earn awards for providing ecofriendly solutions to today’s gig economy.
