Idaho moves up to 6th nationally on U-Haul Growth Index
Jan 2, 2024
Idaho is the No. 6 growth state, according to annual U-Haul Growth Index which analyzed one-way customer moves during 2023.
California’s loss is Idaho’s gain, well, sort of.
The annual U-Haul Growth Index shows Idaho is the No. 6 growth state, rising four spots from its previous ranking. The growth index analyzed one-way customer moves during 2023.
The number of one-way U-Haul customers moving to Idaho fell nearly 6% from 2022, but number of U-Haul customers leaving the state fell more than 7% as overall moving traffic slowed, a U-Haul news release said.
For the third straight year Texas saw the largest number of movers in one-way U-Haul rentals in 2023. Florida ranked second also for the third year in a row, followed by North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
California saw the largest net loss of one-way movers using U-Haul equipment for the fourth year in a row, the release said. The other bottom-five states for growth were Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts. New York ranked 43rd.
Idaho has ranked in the company’s top 10 destination states for three consecutive years.
Idaho’s top growth cities are Boise and Nampa, according to the release. Other notable net-gain markets include Twin Falls, Coeur d’Alene, Kuna, Post Falls, Meridian, Blackfoot, Mountain Home and Lewiston, the release said.
“Idaho is a great place to start a career,” Seth McIntier, U-Haul Company of Idaho’s president, said in the release. “When people decide to move, it’s often because of the job and housing markets. We have both — jobs and affordable homes. Since so many young people are moving to Idaho, there is a strong entrepreneurial spirit here.”
McIntier’s statement was back up by recent reports from the Idaho Department of Labor.
The department reported last week that Idaho led the nation for median household income growth at a rate of 15%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey.
In November the state’s 3.3% unemployment rate was the lowest in the Pacific Northwest, and eastern Idaho performed better than the state. The Idaho Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area continued to experience the state’s lowest regional unemployment rate out of its six MSAs at 2.6%, the state Department of Labor reported.
Additionally, the Gem State’s housing unit growth ranks fourth nationally, outpacing all of its neighboring states except Utah, the state Department of Labor reported.
U-Haul is “the authority on migration trends” due to its expansive network that all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces, the release said.
“The geographical coverage from 23,000 U-Haul truck- and trailer-sharing locations provides a broad overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry,” the release said.