From Staff Reports
 

PHOENIX, Ariz. — For the first time, South Carolina topped U-Haul’s yearly list of growth states —and North Carolina, for a second consecutive year, finished at No. 3, according to a Jan. 2 press release from U-Haul.

“South Carolina climbed three spots in the rankings to unseat Texas, which was the No. 1 growth state for the previous three years (2021-23),” the release noted. “Of all the U-Haul movers coming and going from the Palmetto State in 2024, more than 51.7 percent were arrivals.” 

Meanwhile, wildfire-plagued California “experienced the greatest net loss of do-it-yourself movers in U-Haul equipment and ranks 50th for the fifth consecutive year,” the release pointed out.

“Growth rankings are configured by each state’s net gain (or loss) of customers utilizing one-way U-Haul equipment in a calendar year. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from well over 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box moving container transactions that occur annually.”

To that end, John “J.T.” Taylor, president of U-Haul International, stated the following:

“State-to-state transactions from the past year reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time,

“Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families gauge their cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors that go into relocating to a new state. 

“Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast — and particularly California.”

While North Carolina is No. 3 on the list, no Western North Carolina cities were included on the list of areas in the state with the most growth for 2024. According to the U-Haul study, the Tar Heel state’s leading growth cities in 2024 included:

Aberdeen                       Hickory

Charlotte                       Leland

Chapel Hill                    Mooresville

Concord                         New Bern

Cornelius                       Statesville

Durham                         Wake Forest

Garner                           Wilmington

Winston-Salem

The top 10 states with the most growth of 2024, based on the U-Haul study, included:

1. South Carolina          6. Arizona

2. Texas                         7. Washington

3. North Carolina          8. Indiana

4. Florida                       9. Utah

5. Tennessee                 10. Idaho