New data from U-Haul shows Maine is among the top states in the country for one-way movers.
Maine ranked 13th out of all states and jumped 18 places, up from number 31 a year ago, showing strength as a place in which to relocate.
Massachusetts ranked near the bottom with only California drawing fewer one-way movers through U-Haul.
Vermont ranked 20th, which is the only other state in New England with a high ranking.
According to a release Thursday from U-Haul, its 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 company says it handles well over 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box moving container transactions annually.
Among the ongoing trends revealed in the report, California experienced the greatest net loss of do-it-yourself movers in U-Haul equipment and ranks 50th for the fifth consecutive year. At the other end of the spectrum, South Carolina climbed three spots in the rankings to unseat Texas, which was the No. 1 for the previous three years (2021-23).
Texas has ranked first or second among U-Haul Growth States each year since 2016. Florida has been fourth or higher every year since 2015.
Meanwhile, New York had its lowest growth ranking in a decade at No. 47.
“State-to-state transactions from the past year reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time,” said U-Haul International president John “J.T.” Taylor. “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.”
