(The Center Square) – Michigan ranked 46th for growth nationwide for 2023, climbing two spots from its previous ranking, according to the U-Haul Growth Index analyzing one-way customer moves.
One-way U-Haul customers arriving in Michigan rose 1% from 2022 while departures remained about the same year-over-year.
Do-it-yourself movers arriving in Michigan accounted for just over 49.5% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of the Great Lakes State.
Michigan’s notable net-gain markets include Grand Rapids, Farmington Hills, Sterling Heights, Hamtramck, Muskegon, Walker, Saginaw, Holland, Wyoming, Brighton, Rockford, Kalamazoo, Flint and St. Claire Shores.
The U-Haul Growth Index tracks the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks, trailers, and U-Box moving containers arriving in a city or state, versus departing from that city or state, in a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul customer transactions that occur annually across the U.S. and Canada.
Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee account for the top five growth states. California ranks 50th for the fourth year in a row with the largest net loss of one-way U-Haul customers.
2023 U-Haul Growth States
TexasFloridaNorth CarolinaSouth CarolinaTennesseeIdahoWashingtonArizonaColoradoVirginia
U-Haul migration trends don’t correlate directly to population or economic growth, but the U-Haul Growth Index shows how well states and cities are attracting and maintaining residents.
U-Haul’s network covers all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The geographical coverage from 23,000 U-Haul truck- and trailer-sharing locations provides a broad overview of where people are moving.
Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills, blamed Michigan’s population loss on expensive electricity costs and poor infrastructure.
“Too many people move away to other states and not enough people move here,” Tisdel told The Center Square in a text message. “Broken roads, failing schools, and high electricity prices have created difficulties for families and job providers. A new income tax hike and even higher energy prices in the future will only make things worse.”
More than 60,000 people have left Michigan since 2020.
“Instead, we need to make our communities more desirable, affordable places for families to live and work. We can do that by investing our resources and shaping public policy to fix our roads, bolster public safety, and help students learn — while cutting taxes whenever possible. If we get the basics right without raising costs, we’ll have people driving U-Hauls into Michigan instead of out.”
