South Carolina tops growth ranking list for U.S. states in 2024, according to U-Haul

Texas, which reigned as the top U-Haul growth state 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's area vice president for the Carolinas and Georgia. "We have southern charm. We have a lot of history here. We got beaches. We have mountains. We have low cost of living."

The outlook was less sunny in the Golden State, which ranked dead last on U-Haul's Growth Index for the fifth year in a row.

U-Haul calculates each state's net gain (or loss) of customers using one-way rentals. The company said it sees more than 2.5 million one-way truck, trailer and moving container transactions each year across all 50 states.

Transactions from 2024 "reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time," U-Haul International president John "J.T." Taylor said in a statement.

"Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families gauge their cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors," Taylor said in the statement. "Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast - and particularly California."

However, the company says its Growth Index offers a look at how well states and cities are attracting and retaining residents.

Hardin said many of the people he sees moving to the Carolinas are coming from the Northeast seeking warmer weather, and from California in search of a lower cost of living.

"There's no reason you wouldn't want to move here," Hardin added in a video shared by U-Haul.

Hardin also highlighted the Carolinas' abundance of entertainment and sports opportunities, as well as a surge in manufacturing, healthcare and tech jobs.