People generally moved to sunny southern states in 2025, U-Haul reported. The leaders in out-migration tended to be Democratic-led states.
California tops the list for the sixth consecutive year for having the most people move to another state in 2025, move-it-yourself rental company U-Haul announced on Jan. 5.
Texas and Florida were the most popular destinations for one-way truck rentals last year, followed by North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina, U-Haul reported.
The Lone Star State reclaimed the title of the top U-Haul growth state for the seventh time in a decade, according to the company.
U-Haul ranked states by their net gain or loss of customers who rented a one-way truck, trailer, and U-Box moving container in one state and dropped the equipment off in another state.
The list was compiled from over 2.5 million annual one-way transactions across the United States and Canada.
Sunshine and warm weather were common attributes of the states that remained appealing for movers. Eight of the top 10 states were in the south or southeast.
Eight of the bottom 10 states for movers were northern states, including five in the northeast and three in the Midwest.
Seven of the top 10 states to see new growth were led by Republican governors, and nine of the states voted Republican in the last presidential election.
Nine of the bottom 10 states featured Democratic governors, and seven of them voted Democrat in the 2024 presidential election.
Oregon had the largest year-over-year increase in the U-Haul rating in 2025, climbing to 11th place as a net gainer after ranking 34th as a net loser in 2024. Mississippi, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Montana also climbed the ladder.
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area took top honors as the fastest-growing metro area in 2025, matching last year’s ranking, the company announced.
Ocala, Florida, also retained the title of the city luring the most U-Haul customers, a position it also earned in 2024 and 2022, U-Haul reported.
