U-Haul 2023 Reports California Beats Every State for Residents Moving Out
Florida and Texas, North and South Carolina and Tennessee top destinations
By Katy Grimes, January 4, 2024 7:35 am
When will California politicians admit that residents are fleeing the Golden State in droves, and have been for a decade?
The U-Hauls leaving California in 2023 marked the fourth consecutive year the once Golden State finished on top of the U-Haul Growth Index – meaning more Californians rented one-way U-Haul trucks to leave the state in 2023, than residents of any other state.
Californians are moving out.
The top states Californians were leaving for – as we’ve become accustomed to, Florida and Texas, North and South Carolina and Tennessee.
U-Haul reports that Idaho, Washington, Arizona, Colorado and Virginia were also in the top 10 states for inbound migration.
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 – all factor in the decision to move.
Other states losing population are Michigan (46), New Jersey (47), Illinois (48) and Massachusetts (49). New York ranks 43rd.
Washington state, which ranked #23 last year in the U-Haul report, jumped to #7 in 2023 as a destination state. Vermont jumped from #30 to #12. Wyoming jumped from #33 to #14. Even South Dakota jumped from #31 to #19.
Oregon fell from #22 to #37, Pennsylvania #24 to #38, and Louisiana fell from #35 to #45.
In 2022, 817,000 Californians moved to other states.
California also lost a net of 407,000 residents to other states between July 2021 and July 2022.
The California Department of Finance recently announced that California’s overall population loss slowed down dramatically during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, with the state losing only 37,200 people. We are questioning that number given that U-Haul still ranks Californians as the top state for outbound migration.
“U-Haul calculates growth states by each state’s net gain (or loss) of one-way equipment from customer transactions in a calendar year. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box moving container transactions that occur annually across the U.S. and Canada.”
“While one-way transactions in 2023 remained below the record-breaking levels we witnessed immediately following the pandemic, we continued to see many of the same geographical trends from U-Haul customers moving between states,” said John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president.
“Migration to states in the Southeast and Southwest is still very pronounced. Demand for one-way equipment out of certain markets in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast mirrors what we have seen during recent moving cycles. Wherever DIY customers go, and whatever mobility and self-storage needs they have in 2024, U-Haul will be there with solutions.”
2023 U-Haul Growth States
1. | TEXAS (1) |
2. | FLORIDA (2) |
3. | NORTH CAROLINA (4) |
4. | SOUTH CAROLINA (3) |
5. | TENNESSEE (6) |
6. | IDAHO (10) |
7. | WASHINGTON (23) |
8. | ARIZONA (7) |
9. | COLORADO (11) |
10. | VIRGINIA (5) |
11. | NEVADA (13) |
12. | VERMONT (30) |
13. | UTAH (12) |
14. | WYOMING (33) |
15. | DELAWARE (27) |
16. | NEW MEXICO (19) |
17. | ARKANSAS (43) |
18. | GEORGIA (8) |
19. | SOUTH DAKOTA (31) |
20. | MINNESOTA (17) |
21. | MONTANA (18) |
22. | ALABAMA (20) |
23. | OHIO (9) |
24. | IOWA (21) |
25. | HAWAII (–) |
26. | WISCONSIN (16) |
27. | INDIANA (14) |
28. | MISSOURI (15) |
29. | KENTUCKY (26) |
30. | WEST VIRGINIA (25) |
31. | MAINE (29) |
32. | NORTH DAKOTA (37) |
33. | KANSAS (39) |
34. | ALASKA (41) |
35. | NEBRASKA (32) |
36. | RHODE ISLAND (40) |
37. | OREGON (22) |
38. | PENNSYLVANIA (24) |
39. | MISSISSIPPI (34) |
40. | NEW HAMPSHIRE (38) |
41. | OKLAHOMA (42) |
42. | CONNECTICUT (28) |
43. | NEW YORK (46) |
44. | MARYLAND (44) |
45. | LOUISIANA (35) |
46. | MICHIGAN (48) |
47. | NEW JERSEY (45) |
48. | ILLINOIS (49) |
49. | MASSACHUSETTS (47) |
50. | CALIFORNIA (50) |
- California Begins its Latest War Against Donald Trump - November 7, 2024
- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s First Threatening Message to President-Elect Trump - November 7, 2024
- She’s Come Undone: In 1969 The Guess Who Predicted Kamala’s 2024 Election Disaster - November 7, 2024
I noted that warm states like Texas and Florida are number one and two. So much for the climate refugee lie. Shouldn’t people be fleeing to northern states as fast a possible to escape the planet burning up?
Thanks for questioning the numbers on out bound Californians. The official number is preposterous.
Too bad U-Haul doesn’t put those lighted signs on the front of their van bodies, kind of like public transit busses have. That way the renter of the rig could easily announce to the world which ‘greener pasture’ he is heading to. I believe in doing so the folks fleeing could enhance their fleeing experience.
Not that one could actually improve the feeling of watching that “Welcome to California” sign disappearing in one’s rear-view mirror as he sees it for the last time.
It’s sad that so many productive working class and middle class taxpaying citizens are being forced to flee California because of the destructive policies implemented by Democrat/RINO uni-party globalist cabal who are purposely trying to destroy the state?
California already has 40 million people and is overcrowded, but you know that Katy. It would be great if you and the fools who lap up your nonsense got some pack and ship boxes and vacated. It would make California a far better place.
The working people who pay the bills are leaving. Who would pay the welfare for Democrats?
You first, ‘Dog… you first…. we have too many like YOU already….
Hopefully you’re a young person, Skippy, so that 20 years from now you can fully appreciate the effects of the policies your friends are foisting on the beautiful land of opportunity that was once the Golden State of Cailfornia.
And just think. If you manage to live another 40 years, you might actually get to ride on Governor Moonbeam’s Go Fast Choo-Choo! That’d be AWESOME!
Actually, it’s people like you that have ruined California….do us all a favor and get packing yourself!!!