According to U-Haul’s Growth Index, Americans will flock to the Southern states in 2024 South Carolina at the top of the list of moving destinations for the first time.
According to figures, arrivals accounted for 51.7% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of the state. the report published on Thursday.
Texas, which reigned as the top U-Haul growth state for three years in a row, fell to second place last year. North Carolina ranked third.
“The Carolinas are a great place to live,” said Jason Hardin, U-Haul vice president for the Carolinas and Georgia. “We have Southern charm. We have a lot of history here. We have beaches. We have mountains. We have a low cost of living.”
Living on the coast without the high price tag found in other states, combined with warm weather and Southern charm, could motivate people to move to the Carolinas, said Jason Hardin, president of U-Haul. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The outlook was less sunny in the Golden State, which ranked last on the U-Haul Growth Index for the fifth year in a row.
U-Haul calculates the net profit (or loss) to customers from each state using one-way rentals. The company said it sees more than 2.5 million truck, trailer and moving container transactions in all 50 states each year.
2024 transactions “confirm customer trends that have been around for some time,” U-Haul International president John “JT” Taylor said in a statement.
“Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families assess their costs of living, employment opportunities, quality of life and other factors,” Taylor said in the statement. “Out-migration remains widespread for a number of markets in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast – and especially California.”
Florida and Tennessee rank fourth and fifth, respectively, among the top growth states. Arizona, Washington, Indiana, Utah and Idaho rounded out the top 10.
According to U-Haul’s annual Growth Index, Americans will flock to the Southern states in 2024. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
AMERICANS COME FROM MAJOR METROPOLITAN CITIES TO THESE SOUTHERN ‘EX BURBS’
U-Haul’s rankings don’t directly correlate with population or economic growth — after three years of decline, The people of California grew last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
However, the company says the growth index provides a view of how well states and cities attract and retain residents.
Hardin said many of the people he sees moving to the Carolinas are coming from the Northeast in search of warmer weather, and from California in search of a lower cost of living.
“There’s no reason why you wouldn’t want to move here,” Hardin added in a video shared by U-Haul.
Hardin also highlighted the abundance of entertainment and sports options in the Carolinas, as well as a surge in manufacturing, healthcare and technology jobs.
In August, Meta announced plans to build its first data center in South Carolina. The following month, Google announced a $3.3 billion plan to expand an existing data center and add two new campuses. local news reports.
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The state has also tried to position itself as a global superpower electric vehicle and battery production.
