U-Haul, a self-moving and truck rental company, announced on January 5 that in 2025, California became the state with the highest influx of population for the sixth consecutive year among its destinations.
According to U-Haul, the most common one-way truck rental destinations last year were Texas and Florida, followed by North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina in order.
Based on the company’s data, Texas reclaimed the top spot in U-Haul’s population growth ranking for the seventh time in the past decade.
U-Haul ranks states based on the net increase or decrease of one-way rentals, including trucks, trailers, and U-Box moving containers. These customers rent equipment in one state and return it in another.
The list compiles data from over 2.5 million annual one-way transactions in the United States and Canada.
Their analysis shows that abundant sunshine and warm climate remain the most attractive features for relocating individuals, with 8 out of the top 10 states located in the southern or southeastern regions.
Among the least favored 10 states for movers, 8 are in the northern region, with 5 in the Northeast and 3 in the Midwest.
In the top 10 states with the highest population growth, 7 are led by Republican governors, and 9 of these states voted for the Republican Party in the most recent presidential election.
Conversely, in the bottom 10 states with the least growth, 9 are governed by Democratic governors, with 7 of these states supporting the Democratic Party in the 2024 presidential election.
Oregon saw the largest ranking increase in the 2025 U-Haul ratings, moving from the 34th state with a net loss in 2024 to the 11th state with a net inflow in 2025. Additionally, Mississippi, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Montana also saw their rankings rise.
U-Haul announced that the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area was rated as the fastest-growing metro area in 2025, maintaining its position from the previous year.
Data shows that Ocala, Florida continues to lead in attracting U-Haul customers, having received this honor in 2024 and 2022 as well.
In the latest U-Haul Growth Index, metropolitan areas in Texas dominate, with Dallas, Houston, and Austin taking the top three spots, with 6 Texas cities in the top 25.
The top 10 metropolitan areas for self-moving in 2025 also include Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina, Phoenix in Arizona, Nashville in Tennessee, Atlanta in Georgia, and the Brownsville-McAllen corridor on the southern border of Texas.
Data also indicates some cities experiencing a reversal in migration trends. According to U-Haul’s data, San Francisco, Denver, and Philadelphia made it to the list of the top 25 cities with the highest net influx of residents in 2025, reversing the previous year’s trend of net migration out of these cities.