The Republican "red wave" may not have materialized at the ballot box last November, but it appears more people are voting red with their feet as Republican-led states, including Alabama, continue to draw residents from liberal Democrat strongholds.
According to the annual U-Haul Growth Index, which tracks the preferred destinations of one-way truck customers across the United States, Alabama ranked 20th for growth in 2022.
Alabama tied for first with Virginia for having the biggest growth ranking increase compared to 2021. Alabama was only 46th for new movers in 2021, according to the index.
Texas was first in the rankings for 2022 for the second consecutive year and the fifth time since 2016. Florida, which finished second in 2022, has been a top-three growth state seven years in a row.
South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, Georgia, Ohio and Idaho rounded out the top 10 growth states in 2022. New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois and California are the bottom five states for growth in 2022.
"The 2022 trends in migration followed very similar patterns to 2021 with Texas, Florida, the Carolinas and the Southwest continuing to see solid growth," John "J.T." Taylor, U-Haul International president, said in a statement. "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."
According to a press release, U-Haul transactional data confirms that the migration to the Southeast and Southwest United States — trends that were amplified and accelerated during the pandemic — continued through last year. However, overall moves slowed slightly in most states from the record-breaking number of moves in 2021.
According to U-Haul, demand for equipment out of California, Illinois and New York remained strong in 2022 as more people opted to leave areas of the West Coast, Northeast and Midwest. California and Illinois ranked 50th and 49th, respectively, on the U-Haul Growth Index for the third consecutive year, meaning those states saw the greatest net losses of one-way U-Haul trucks.
The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled according to the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks arriving in a state or city versus departing from that state or city 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 United States and Canada.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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