Texas continues to leave other states behind in attracting new residents if one-way traffic data from U-Haul is accurate. For the third consecutive year and the sixth time in eight years, more do-it-yourself movers poured in (50.4%) than moved out (49.6%).

Florida was a close runner-up, marking its ninth year in the top four of states drawing one-way traffic.

“While U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states and cities are attracting and maintaining residents,” the company commented, noting its wide geographical coverage of the U.S. and Canada. “U-Haul calculates growth states by each state’s net gain (or loss) of one-way equipment from customer transactions in a calendar year.”

One-way trips in 2023 fell below the levels reached in the immediate wake of the pandemic.

However, they revealed the same trends. Moves to the Southeast and Southwest continued to lead the way, while certain markets in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast continued to see an outflow.

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho, Washington, Arizona, Colorado and Virginia made up the top 10 receiving states. States that saw the fewest move-ins were California, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, and Massachusetts. New York came in 43rd.