ARIZONA RANKS NO. 7 GROWTH STATE, ACCORDING TO U-HAUL

PHOENIX ARIZONA REAL ESTATE

Arizona Ranks No. 7 Growth State, According To U-Haul

By AZBigMedia, azbigmedia.com | January 11, 2026

Arizona is the No. 7 growth state of 2025, according to U-Haul Growth Index migration data analyzing one-way customer transactions from the past calendar year

Arizona slides one spot from the No. 6 growth ranking it held in 2024, trading places with Washington. This marks the sixth consecutive year Arizona has been among the top 10 states for the net gain of one-way U-Haul customers.

U-Haul customers arriving in Arizona accounted for 50.3% of all one-way traffic in and out of the state last year (49.7% leaving).

Compared to 2024, U-Haul customers coming to Arizona rose 2% year-over-year while departures also rose 2%.

States are ranked by their net gain (or loss) of U-Haul customers who rented a one-way truck, trailer or U-Box^® portable moving container in one state and dropped off their equipment in another state. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul transactions that occur annually in the U.S. and Canada.

“In metro Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott Valley, Dewey-Humboldt … all of these places have lots of new housing developments going up to accommodate the growth,” stated Joe Kruerger, U-Haul Area District Vice President of Arizona. “We see microchip plants and data centers going up (in metro Phoenix). These are bringing a lot of jobs to the state.

“The weather is an obvious attraction to Arizona. Once you get past the triple-digit temperatures in the summer, we get a lot of beautiful days where being outside is very pleasant. The low tax rates and lower income tax are nice compared to most states. That attracts families and businesses.”

The Grand Canyon State’s notable growth markets include (in alphabetical order): Anthem, Avondale, Buckeye, Cave Creek, Cottonwood, Fort Mohave, Gilbert, Goodyear, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Maricopa, Payson, Peoria, Pinetop-Lakeside, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Queen Creek, Sierra Vista, Sun City West, Tucson and Yuma.

Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina are the top five growth states of 2025. It’s the same top five from 2024 and 2023, although in a different order after Texas supplanted South Carolina for the top spot to make the Lone Star State the leading growth state for the seventh time in 10 years.

California ranks 50th for the sixth year in a row with the largest net loss of one-way U-Haul customers. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Illinois are also among the bottom five.

Oregon (+23 spots), Mississippi (+18), Colorado (+17), Nevada (+15), New Mexico (+15), Louisiana (+13) and Montana (+12) are the biggest year-over-year climbers on the U-Haul Growth Index.

Ohio (-29 spots), Virginia (-19), Indiana (-17), Iowa (-12), Delaware (-12) and Nebraska (-10) saw the biggest year-over-year slides.

Find national U-Haul Growth Index press releases and past migration trends reports and rankings at uhaul.com/about/migration.

While rankings may not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states, metros and cities are attracting and maintaining residents.

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 more than 24,000 rental locations provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.

Celebrating 80 years of moving families to a better life, U-Haul is a veteran-founded and family-run organization that benefits the environment through its shared-use business model. When communities share U-Haul rentals to meet their moving needs, personal ownership of large-capacity vehicles to transfer belongings becomes unnecessary. Sustainability initiatives such as Adaptive Reuse (the repurposing of existing buildings for stores), truck modifications to improve fuel economy, and plastic Ready-To-Go Boxes^® that are shared hundreds of times before being recycled are among the ways U-Haul promotes green business. U-Box Load Share, the latest U-Haul sustainability program, has earned multiple awards for its ecofriendly solution in today’s gig economy.

– more at azbigmedia.com