Texas moves into top ranking in U-Haul’s list of growing locales
On the move
More movers hauled their belongings to Texas than any other state in 2022. And despite Austin's popularity with backpack-toting newcomers, heavier packers were mostly pointed toward Dallas and Houston, according to a new study.
In its recently released annual growth report, Texas ranks No. 1 overall as the state with the most in-bound moves using U-Haul trucks. This is the second year in a row and the fifth year since 2016 that Texas has earned the distinction.
U-Haul ranks the Houston suburbs of Missouri City and Conroe at No. 13 and No. 19, respectively, among U.S. cities with the most inbound moves via U-Haul trucks in 2022. The Dallas suburb of Richardson made No. 15 as the only other Texas city to make the list.
“The 2022 trends in migration followed very similar patterns to 2021 with Texas, Florida, the Carolinas and the Southwest continuing to see solid growth,” U-Haul international president John Taylor said in a news release. “We still have areas with strong demand for one-way rentals. While overall migration in 2021 was record-breaking, we continue to experience significant customer demand to move out of some geographic areas to destinations at the top of our growth list.”
U-Haul determined the top 25 cities by analyzing more than 2 million one-way U-Haul transactions over the calendar year. Then the company calculated the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a specific area versus departing from that area. The top U-Haul growth states were determined the same way.
The studies note that U-Haul migration trends do not directly correlate to population or economic growth — but they are an “effective gauge” of how well cities and states are attracting and maintaining residents.
Outside of Houston, Missouri City is known for its convenient location only minutes from downtown Houston, according to its website. The city’s proximity to major freeways, rail lines, the Port of Houston, and Bush and Hobby Airports links its businesses with customers “around the nation and the world.”
Richardson moved up from its No. 22 ranking in the U-Haul study last year, when it was also joined by Grapevine (No. 15) and Carrollton (No. 25) - the latter two cities have dropped off the list. The Richardson Chamber of Commerce brags about the city’s 900 acres of parkland, extensive trail system, investment in the cultural arts, diverse array of neighborhoods, convenient Metroplex location, multi-modal transportation infrastructure, and high-tech business leadership.
The No. 19-ranked city of Conroe is “the perfect blend of starry nights and city lights,” according to the Visit Conroe website. Conroe offers plenty of outdoor activities, as it is bordered by Lake Conroe, Sam Houston National Forest, and W. Goodrich Jones State Forest. But it also has a busy downtown area with breweries, theaters, shopping, and live music.
To view U-Haul’s full growth cities report, click here.