U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities of 2022: Ocala Tops List as Families Flock to Florida

The Sunshine State has 4 of the top 25 markets for netting one-way U-Haul customers

PHOENIX, Jan. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ocala is the top growth city in America based on the net gain of one-way U-Haul® trucks during the past year, and four Florida destinations are among the top 25 on the annual U-Haul Growth Index.

It is the third consecutive year that a Florida city has topped the U-Haul growth rankings. The Kissimmee-St. Cloud corridor earned that honor in 2021. North Port was No. 1 for 2020.

U-Haul transactional data reveals Ocala saw a 6% year-over-year increase in arrivals and only a 1% increase in departures. Do-it-yourself movers arriving in Ocala accounted for more than 53% of all one-way U-Haul truck traffic in and out of the market (47% departures).

The Sacramento-Roseville (Calif.) market and Madison (Wis.) rank second and third on the 2022 growth cities list, respectively. Both have held the No. 1 ranking in recent years.

Rounding out the top 10 growth cities are Palm Bay-Melbourne (Fla.); Auburn-Opelika (Ala.); North Port, (Fla.); Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach (S.C.); Surprise (Ariz.); Huntsville (Ala.); and Charleston-North Charleston (S.C.).

St. Louis, Raleigh-Durham and Nashville are among some of the more notable growth markets to also crack the top 25.

"Florida had a number of top growth cities, Ocala being No. 1," stated Ed Hatcher, U-Haul Area District Vice President who oversees Company operations across northern Florida. "A lot of that has to do with the small-town feel and everything being extremely close for people to get to."

Hatcher added the Ocala market may receive U-Haul trucks from people moving to neighboring communities like The Villages, Leesburg, and Orlando suburbs such as Clermont, which reflects positively for the entire area.

The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled according to the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks 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 million one-way U-Haul truck transactions that occur annually across the U.S. and Canada.

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 cities and states are attracting and maintaining residents. Visit myuhaulstory.com to view the U-Haul top 50 growth state rankings of 2022 and find individual press releases for the top 10 growth states.

PLUS FIVE more notable cities that just missed the cut, but posted big growth numbers in 2022:

• Atlanta, GA
• Minneapolis, MN
• Miami, FL
• Milwaukee, WI
• San Diego, CA

U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets 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 like no one else in the industry.

Small business owners who are interested in joining the U-Haul Dealer Network at no cost and earning commissions from U-Haul rental transactions can visit uhaul.com/dealer to learn more and submit information to be contacted by a local representative.

Founded in 1945, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 186,000 trucks, 128,000 trailers and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America and offers 913,000 rentable storage units and 78.1 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America. 

Contact:
Jeff Lockridge
Sebastien Reyes
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 602-760-4941
Website: uhaul.com

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SOURCE U-Haul