U-Haul Ranks Top 50 Growth States of 2024. (Photo: uhaul.com)
The Gavin Newsom Effect: U-Haul Reports Californians Leaving the State in Droves
Families gauge cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors that go into relocating to a new state
By Katy Grimes, July 22, 2025 9:12 am
With California Governor Gavin Newsom blatantly denying that California is losing residents and businesses to many other states, and that the state’s outbound migration exceeds inbound migration, it’s time to refresh U-Haul’s January report showing that more Californians rented one-way U-Haul trucks to leave the state in 2024, than residents of any other state.
In “Snaky Gavin Newsom Lies Again About California’s Population Decline,” Outkick reports Newsom’s “failed rebrand included an interview with Shawn Ryan, where he attempted to defend himself against reality, this time by denying that Californians are fleeing to other states. He was lying.”
“He claimed on the Shawn Ryan Show and in a social media post that the ‘California exodus is a myth,’ saying that the state has seen population growth in the last two years. He even sarcastically clapped and said it’s ‘bulls***,’ because, as a teenager, swearing makes him cool.”
U-Haul’s 2025 report, once again finds – for the fifth year in a row – the once Golden State finished 50th in the U-Haul Growth Index.
California ranked last in U-Haul growth.
We call this “The Gavin Newsom effect.”
2024 U-Haul Growth States
| 1 | SOUTH CAROLINA (4) |
| 2 | TEXAS (1) |
| 3 | NORTH CAROLINA (3) |
| 4 | FLORIDA (2) |
| 5 | TENNESSEE (5) |
| 6 | ARIZONA (8) |
| 7 | WASHINGTON (7) |
| 8 | INDIANA (27) |
| 9 | UTAH (13) |
| 10 | IDAHO (6) |
| 11 | OKLAHOMA (41) |
| 12 | ARKANSAS (17) |
| 13 | MAINE (31) |
| 14 | OHIO (23) |
| 15 | GEORGIA (18) |
| 16 | ALABAMA (22) |
| 17 | VIRGINIA (10) |
| 18 | MINNESOTA (20) |
| 19 | SOUTH DAKOTA (19) |
| 20 | VERMONT (12) |
| 21 | DELAWARE (15) |
| 22 | WISCONSIN (26) |
| 23 | IOWA (24) |
| 24 | MONTANA (21) |
| 25 | KENTUCKY (29) |
| 26 | HAWAII (25) |
| 27 | ALASKA (34) |
| 28 | MISSOURI (28) |
| 29 | NEBRASKA (35) |
| 30 | WEST VIRGINIA (30) |
| 31 | NORTH DAKOTA (32) |
| 32 | KANSAS (33) |
| 33 | NEW HAMPSHIRE (40) |
| 34 | OREGON (37) |
| 35 | NEVADA (11) |
| 36 | WYOMING (14) |
| 37 | NEW MEXICO (16) |
| 38 | RHODE ISLAND (36) |
| 39 | MISSISSIPPI (39) |
| 40 | COLORADO (9) |
| 41 | CONNECTICUT (42) |
| 42 | MARYLAND (44) |
| 43 | MICHIGAN (46) |
| 44 | LOUISIANA (45) |
| 45 | ILLINOIS (48) |
| 46 | PENNSYLVANIA (38) |
| 47 | NEW YORK (43) |
| 48 | NEW JERSEY (47) |
| 49 | MASSACHUSETTS (49) |
| 50 | CALIFORNIA (50) |
Gavin Newsom’s faithful backyard yapper Brandon Richards (He/Him) cited Newsom’s accomplishments on X – only these all existed before Gavin became governor, and only because California is such a beautiful state with the best weather in the country.
California’s historical prosperity cited by Brandon already existed and has for many decades – in spite of destructive Democrat governors and legislators. As one reader noted, “California is only relevant today because of the weather, investments, and political decisions made between 1940 and 1980.”
Brandon left out California’s high taxes, high cost of living – highest-in-the-nation housing costs, highest-in-the-nation gas prices, failing public schools, and loss of parental rights – which all factor in the decision to leave the state.
A more accurate depiction of Gavin’s California is this meme: highest homelessness in the country, 1/3 of all poverty in the country, huge budget deficit ($55B), lowest public K-12 reading and math scores, three year Covid lockdown by Newsom – and these numbers need to be updated!
Uhaul reported that “the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, better known as the DFW Metroplex, is the leading U-Haul Growth Metro of 2024.”
“Charlotte, Phoenix, Lakeland and Austin complete the top five U.S. growth metros, meaning they saw the largest net gains of U-Haul® customers taking one-way equipment into and out of metro areas last year.”
“This marks the first year that metros have been part of the do-it-yourself moving company’s annual growth reports and rankings. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from well over 2.5 million one-way truck, trailer and U-Box® portable moving container transactions that occur annually in the U.S. and Canada.”
Uhaul said Florida wins with seven of the top 25 growth metros: Lakeland, Palm Bay, Jacksonville, Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Daytona Beach.
Texas had five metros make the cut. North Carolina had three, all in the top 14.
Florida has five of the top 25 growth cities. Tennessee, Washington and Alabama each have three. Virginia boasts two of the top four cities, Fredericksburg and Lorton, both located within 50 miles of Washington, D.C.
2024 Top 25 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 |
| 15 | Sarasota, FL |
| 16 | Fort Myers, FL |
| 17 | Boise, ID |
| 18 | Richmond, VA |
| 19 | Bend, OR |
| 20 | Indianapolis, IN |
| 21 | Brownsville & McAllen, TX |
| 22 | Tyler, TX |
| 23 | Daytona Beach, FL |
| 24 | Spokane, WA |
| 25 | Springdale, AR |
Ocala, Florida tops the 25 U.S. growth cities to recognize city propers (outside the leading growth metros) that are netting the most one-way U-Haul customers.
“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.
2024 Top 25 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 |
| 11 | Spartanburg, SC |
| 12 | Auburn, AL |
| 13 | Cookeville, TN |
| 14 | Huntsville, AL |
| 15 | Clermont, FL |
| 16 | Iowa City, IA |
| 17 | Tacoma, WA |
| 18 | Port St. Lucie, FL |
| 19 | Vancouver, WA |
| 20 | Missoula, MT |
| 21 | Panama City, FL |
| 22 | Madison, WI |
| 23 | Corvallis, OR |
| 24 | Concord, NH |
| 25 | Kingman, AZ |
“State-to-state transactions from the past year reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time,” said John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president. “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.”
A California native and Navy mom, Katy lives in Sacramento, CA.
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September 12, 2018
ca. growth is from across the southern border. many undocumented illegal ” new- comers”.
“California is only relevant today because of the weather, investments, and political decisions made between 1940 and 1980.”
This is TRUTH, and as Scott mentioned, it’s not just the southern border, it’s also the Middle East and Asia…. but it ain’t mostly from other U.S. states – that ship sailed during the Gray Davis administration, and has accelerated ever since….
This article raises important concerns, and it’s clear that California is grappling with serious economic pressures. The U-Haul data showing California ranked last in net inbound moves for five consecutive years reflects a real sentiment: many residents and small business owners feel the state has become unaffordable and overly burdensome to operate in.
There’s no doubt that high interest rates, the insurance crisis, and an ongoing liquidity crunch are hitting small businesses hard. But it’s not just about people leaving—it’s also about the financial toll on those who stay.
In 2024, California led the nation with 47,621 bankruptcy filings, including both personal and business cases. While that sounds dire, context is important: on a per-capita basis (about 119 filings per 100,000 people), California actually ranks lower than states like Georgia or Alabama. Still, the state’s total filing volume is a signal of real financial distress—especially among entrepreneurs trying to survive rising costs, regulatory complexity, and shrinking margins.
Nationally, bankruptcies are up sharply—14.2% year-over-year as of December 2024, and continuing into 2025. That tells us California isn’t alone in this struggle, but the burdens are felt more acutely here because of the state’s unique mix of high costs and dense regulation.
So while it may be an oversimplification to call this solely “The Gavin Newsom Effect,” the concerns are valid. The state needs targeted reforms to restore confidence in its small business ecosystem—starting with insurance stabilization, tax relief, and reducing red tape.
Blaming leadership is one part of the conversation. But what we need most now is thoughtful policy that makes California livable and sustainable—for business owners and families alike.
Oh, c’mon now. Are you going to believe statistics, or Gavin’s lies?
You ever notice that it’s The Democrat States that keep trying to tell us all that Americans Love them, but in reality are the Staes that people are leaving in droves from. I guess when you use the American People who Live in these States as Property of the Democrat Governments, who are just there to Work so the Democrats can spend on every Pet Project they want and all their Causes du Jour. All why the Hard Working Peoples Quality of Life Completely and Utterly Erodes so the Democrat Party apparatus of these States can buy Voters at the Peoples Expense, it was bound to Happen. The Fact that the Democrats don’t really care is Blatantly Obvious to anyone with a Functioning Brain and the End result of People Leaving and Voting with their Feet Inevitable is it Not?
John – Very well said. The financial, regulatory, and social-engineering costs of “democrat” policies have made many “blue” states an intolerable climate for many Americans. From their relentless and destructive war on petroleum companies, to the willful harboring of millions of illegal aliens, California’s future will not improve without dramatic political change. California’s public (government) schools are a national disgrace, yet they continue to bleed the American taxpayer dry. The irresponsible and parasitic nature of today’s democrat-party policies is at the “breaking-point”, with budget deficits and expenditures that are out-of-control. California is heading for the cliff, and the continued exodus of businesses and taxpayers is the “canary in the coal mine.”
Gavin Newscum is a sleazy, slimy, lying, cheating, crooked rat snake-oil salesman. Never believe a word that comes our of that dirt-bags mouth.
Beyond U-Haul, it is an export of talent and an import of wealthy foreigners – Asia and India, in particular, and south American peasants – just like the countries these rich foreigners left. They are used to stepping over the dead in the morning.
I am accustomed to shopping and never hearing a word of English as well as foreign middle eastern looking men who are stunned that I do not step aside when they walk in a gaggle four wide in the mall.
Just proves what a lying, backstabbing, Communist scumbag Newscum is!
These articles used to make me worry. For years we were trying to get out of California and just couldn’t do it. Thanks to covid and my employer firing me for not complying. I was able to get a new job and my new employer to help me escape California last summer. Sure the weather is not perfect. Its just different and you adjust. Everything else has made it worth it. Family loves it.
I have a friend now who is back home in California and has decided he’s going to follow us got pricing from uhaul for a truck and car trailer. It was $8000.00 just to rent equipment alone. He was able to find a mover to do it all and drive his stuff across the country for almost the same price. So if you’re thinking about moving, I’m not so sure u-haul is cost effective anymore.