Move that truck: One-way moves into Florida are on a roll

Florida, with proof coming in the parade of moving trucks heading into the state, continues to be one of the country’s top places for growth.

The Sunshine State ranks as the No. 3 growth state in America based on moves, according to data from a U-Haul study analyzing migration patterns from 2020. This marks the sixth consecutive year Florida has ranked as one of the country’s top four growth states. Tennessee and Texas top the 2020 list.

Also, North Port, in south Sarasota County, is the No. 1 city nationally for U-Haul in-migration, the report found. North Port is one of four Florida cities in the top 10 and five in the top 25.

The number of people moving to Florida increased by 2% over 2019, when the state was the No. 1 growth state in the United States, according to the U-Haul data. Arrivals to Florida accounted for just more than 50% of all one-way U-Haul traffic throughout 2020.

Despite this uptick in arrivals, Florida’s drop from No. 1 to No. 3 could be due to an increase in departures from the state. Florida saw the number of departures from the state increase by 4% year-over-year, the report shows.

Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia round out the top 10 growth states, making the Southeast a power in attracting do-it-yourself movers. On the other side, California slid one position and is now No. 50 — the state with the steepest out-migration, or the largest net loss of U-Haul trucks crossing its border. New York ranks No. 42nd, while Illinois is No. 49.

The study says growth states are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a state versus leaving that state during a calendar year. The study compiles data from the more than two million one-way U-Haul truck rental transactions that occur each year.