https://www.uhaul.com/Articles/About/U-Haul-Growth-States-Of-2024-South-Carolina-Tops-List-for-First-Time-33083/

The popular moving and storage company U-Haul has released their equipment statistics for 2024. By tracking one-way customers, U-Haul determines the top five states to which people moved this past year. Coming in at number one is South Carolina, followed by Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. California ranked as last (50) in the number of people moving into the state for the fifth consecutive year.

John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president, stated, “Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families gauge their cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors that go into relocating to a new state. Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast—and particularly California.” Of course, U-Haul rentals are not the only data in state migration and population growth, but they do give a clear picture of the trends taking place nationwide. There seem to be several factors that determine the reasons for this trend:

Covid Restrictions and Overreach

It seems people still like their freedoms. During Covid, many suffered, not at the hands of a disease but at the hands of dictatorial lockdowns.The states at the top of the above-referenced list have been more lenient since 2020, while states at the bottom were more restrictive.

Economic Opportunity

Lower taxes, jobs, and freedom to grow are attractive to those living under higher taxes and more government control. The economic opportunity found in these top states comes from their economic freedoms. The cost of moving, even across the entire country, pales in comparison to the amount saved from lower state taxes.

Crime

Safety is a factor when deciding where to rear children. While every state has some crime, the top migration states all have lower crime in common. What an embarrassment it is to see cities in our nation burned and streets ruled by street thugs! It is no surprise that the top states and the bottom states view crime remarkedly differently.

God and Country

Undeniably, patriotism varies from state to state. In the top migration states cited by U-Haul, patriotism is celebrated. There is pride in country and pride in one’s state. The American flag flies high, as people enthusiastically stand and salute while the “Star-Spangled Banner” plays. Likewise in these states, the sentiment is one of “Under God” and not one of “against God.” While not everyone claims to be a Christian in these states, a greater sentiment of the acknowledgment of God persists, in contrast to the blasphemy that states such as California celebrate.

I am sure it is completely coincidental that these top states are dominated by one political party (I do not have to write out here which party). It will be interesting to see how this plays out when states such as California and New York lose seats in Congress due to loss of population. This trend will be a significant one to watch, but I do not see it slowing anytime soon. It seems policies and personal freedoms DO matter to the American people.