The annual U-Haul migration rankings offer a snapshot of where do-it-yourself movers are going, and where they're leaving. The latest data — tracking more than 2.5 million one-way moves in 2025 — shows Washington is among the top states for the net gain in U-Haul one-way movers.
Nationally, the pull of the Sun Belt remains unchecked. Arrivals to Texas via U-Haul grew 3% from 2024, while departures rose just 1%. That was enough to rank Texas No. 1 for growth, marking the seventh time in the past 10 years. Florida followed closely behind, and the rest of the top five — North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina — continued the trend of warmer, generally lower-cost states dominating the leaderboard.
But Washington — most definitely not a Sun Belt state — ranked sixth. Arrivals edged out departures by 1 percentage point here, but both grew significantly. Arrivals grew by 6% while departures increased by 5%.
Jobs and outdoor recreation are two factors that bring a lot of U-Haul movers to Washington, according to Seth McIntier, U-Haul area district vice president for most of Washington. We see a lot of the younger generation moving into the state, especially the Seattle area, he said.
Washington's notable growth markets went far beyond the Seattle area. They were located on both the eastern and western sides of the state, including Anacortes, Bremerton, Chehalis, East Wenatchee, Ferndale, Gig Harbor, Lacey, Longview, Olympia, Port Townsend, Redmond, Ridgefield, Spokane, Tukwila and Vancouver. Clearly, the state's appeal is not confined to its largest metro but extends to smaller cities where housing may be more affordable.
The Evergreen State climbed one spot in U-Haul's growth index from 2024, marking its third straight year in the top seven. And for the fifth consecutive year, Washington recorded a net gain of U-Haul movers.
At the other end of the spectrum, California finished last for the sixth year in a row, with the largest net loss of U-Haul customers. On the bright side for the Golden State, at least its net loss was smaller in 2025 than the year before. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Illinois rounded out the bottom five.
Washington's showing is impressive, I think, given that housing costs remain relatively high across much of the state — and in the Seattle area, of course, they are among the highest in the country. There have also been waves of tech layoffs in the past couple of years.
And one more thing: It rains a lot, at least on the western side of the state.
That really stands out because eight of the Top 10 growth states were in the Sun Belt. The other exception was Idaho, which ranked eighth. Conversely, nine of the bottom 10 states for growth were in the north, the exception being California.
U-Haul emphasizes that migration decisions are still primarily driven by personal circumstances. Even so, it seems clear that the combination of year-round warmth and affordable housing is a big part of the Sun Belt's winning formula. Washington has neither of those things, but we are still drawing more do-it-yourself movers than we're losing.
It's also worth mentioning Oregon, which stood out as the state with the largest single-year climb in the rankings. In 2024, the Beaver State only ranked 34th and registered a net loss of U-Haul movers. Last year, it jumped to 11th, with a net gain of movers.
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