The top U-Haul Growth Metro of 2024 is the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (DFW) metropolitan area, or DFW Metroplex. In terms of U-Haul customers bringing one-way equipment into and out of metro areas last year, Charlotte, NC, Phoenix, Lakeland, FL, and Austin, Texas, round out the top five U.S. growth metros.
Metros are included in the yearly growth reports and rankings of the do-it-yourself moving firm for the first time this year. Every year in the U.S. and Canada, well over 2.5 million one-way truck, trailer, and U-Box portable moving container transactions are used to calculate the U-Haul Growth Index.
“We are seeing unprecedented growth in the Dallas metro area, both within the city and also suburbs like McKinney, Plano and Addison,” said Sean Fullerton, U-Haul Company of South Central Dallas President. “The cost of living is also extremely reasonable throughout the whole metro. Job growth has led to wages and earnings going up, and tax breaks have led to a lot of people moving to the area.”
With Lakeland joined by Palm Bay, Jacksonville, Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers, and Daytona Beach, Florida is home to seven of the top 25 growth metro areas.
Five metro areas in Texas made the cut. All three from North Carolina were in the top 14.
2024 Top 14 U-Haul Growth Metros:
| 1. | Dallas, TX |
| 2. | Charlotte, NC |
| 3. | Phoenix, AZ |
| 4. | Lakeland, FL |
| 5. | Austin, TX |
| 6. | Nashville, TN |
| 7. | Raleigh, NC |
| 8. | Palm Bay, FL |
| 9. | Houston, TX |
| 10. | Greenville, SC |
| 11. | Jacksonville, FL |
| 12. | Tampa, FL |
| 13. | Charleston, SC |
| 14. | Wilmington, NC |
In order to identify city propers (apart from the top growth metros) that are attracting the greatest number of one-way U-Haul clients, U-Haul also revealed its top 25 U.S. growth cities.
Ocala, which ranked first in 2022 and second in 2023, is at the top of that list for the second time. A Florida location has topped the U-Haul growth city rankings for the fifth year in a row.
“There are two main reasons people are moving to Ocala,” said Brady Rome, U-Haul Company of Gainesville President. “The primary reason is cost of living, simply being that it’s lower than almost anywhere in the state. It allows housing to be a more affordable option for families packing up their U-Haul and moving to central Florida. The second reason is the job market, which remains strong with the addition of so many manufacturing jobs. The healthcare industry has also seen massive growth in the past year and is a driving force of employment. And you can’t go without mentioning Ocala is the ‘Horse Capital of the World.’ The equestrian center is huge and continues to bring people here.”
Five of the top 25 growing cities are in the Sunshine State. Alabama, Washington, and Tennessee each have three. Fredericksburg and Lorton, two of Virginia’s top four cities, are both within 50 miles of Washington, D.C.
2024 Top 10 U-Haul Growth Cities (city propers outside the top metros)
| 1. | Ocala, FL |
| 2. | Fredericksburg, VA |
| 3. | Kissimmee, FL |
| 4. | Lorton, VA |
| 5. | Myrtle Beach, SC |
| 6. | College Station, TX |
| 7. | Knoxville, TN |
| 8. | Tukwila, WA |
| 9. | Johnson City, TN |
| 10. | Foley, AL |
The U-Haul Growth Index is a useful indicator of how well states, metro areas, and cities are drawing and keeping citizens, even though U-Haul rankings might not be directly correlated with population or economic growth.
With a vast network spanning all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces, U-Haul is the expert on migration trends. No other company in the sector offers a comprehensive picture of where customers are moving thanks to the geographic coverage from more than 23,000 U-Haul rental facilities.
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