U-Haul Migration Trends: Madison Tops U.S. Growth Cities of 2016

Top 10 Countdown to Reveal U-Haul Growth States on Twitter @uhaul and myuhaulstory.com

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Jan 23, 2017, 10:44 ET

PHOENIX, Jan. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Madison, home to the University of Wisconsin's beloved Badgers and the World Dairy Expo, heads the list of U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities as the industry leader in do-it-yourself moving and self-storage rolls out its 2016 migration trends reports.

Madison is the No. 1 growth city for locations with a population more than 50,000, rising three spots from its 2015 ranking to trump Austin and Boise for top honors.

Madison heads the list of U-Haul 2016 U.S. Growth Cities as the industry leader in do-it-yourself moving and self-storage rolls out its annual migration trends reports. U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces, encompassing more than 21,000 rental locations.

U-Haul Growth Cities are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul truck arrivals over departures for a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 1.7 million one-way U-Haul truck rental transactions that occur annually.

"There's an apartment or condo complex going up every other week," said Madison-based Adam Sonnleitner, U-Haul Company of Southwestern Wisconsin and Rockford president. "Downtown housing is a hot trend. The university and campus are growing. There is definitely growth in the outlying areas as well, but Madison is landlocked with the four lakes, so everybody seems to be jammed in about 10 square miles.

"Madison is a great place to live. There are activities every week, concerts every weekend. If you are bored in this town, it's because you don't have a life, more or less."

U-Haul is revealing its 2016 Growth States as part of a Top 10 countdown on Twitter @uhaul and myuhaulstory.com through Feb. 3, when the No. 1 state and complete rankings will be posted. Arkansas kicks off the countdown as the No. 10 growth state.

While migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, U-Haul growth data is an effective gauge of how well 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 21,000 U-Haul locations, including neighborhood dealers and Company-owned and -operated stores, provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.

"U-Haul migration trends data is among the most sought after in the industry because it is the most comprehensive, dotting the map in more places with more equipment and reaching more customers than anyone else," U-Haul Executive Vice President Stuart Shoen said.

Joining Madison atop their respective growth city lists are Granbury, Texas (population 10,000 to 50,000) and Tilton, N.H. (population fewer than 10,000).

Arrivals accounted for 53 percent of one-way U-Haul traffic in Madison in 2016. Year-over-year arrivals increased 1 percent as departures dropped 2 percent. In Granbury and Tilton, arrivals totaled more than 58 percent of U-Haul traffic and each city welcomed a year-over-year spike in arrivals of more than 30 percent.

U-Haul 2016 U.S. Growth Cities

Population more than 50,000	Population 10,000 to 50,000	Population fewer than 10,000
1. Madison, Wis.	1. Granbury, Texas	1. Tilton, N.H.
2. Austin, Texas	2. Tualatin, Ore.	2. White River Junction, Vt.
3. Boise, Idaho	3. Longview, Wash.	3. Minneola, Fla.
4. San Francisco, Calif.	4. Porter, Texas	4. Center Conway, N.H.
5. Manhattan, N.Y.	5. Opelika, Ala.	5. Dardenne Prairie, Mo.
6. Redding, Calif.	6. Kaufman, Texas	6. Anthem, Ariz.
7. Concord, Calif.	7. Oxford, Miss.	7. Mount Pocono, Pa.
8. Olympia, Wash.	8. Cleveland Heights, Ohio	8. Bunnell, Fla.
9. St. Paul, Minn.	9. Prosper, Texas	9. Centerton, Ark.
10. Kissimmee, Fla.	10. Haines City, Fla.	10. Oak Island, N.C.
11. Murrieta, Calif.	11. Coeur D'Alene, Idaho	11. Hadley, Mass.
12. Atlanta, Ga.	12. Greenville, Texas	12. Whitsett, N.C.
13. Tacoma, Wash.	13. Brentwood, Tenn.	13. Angels Camp, Calif.
14. Brandon, Fla.	14. Auburn, Maine	14. Bandera, Texas
15. Chapel Hill, N.C.	15. Boerne, Texas	15. Lake Placid, N.Y.
16. Roseville, Calif.	16. Rutland, Vt.	16. Swansea, Ill.
17. Miami, Fla.	17. Gettysburg, Pa.	17. Romney, W.Va.
18. Melbourne, Fla.	18. Carbondale, Ill.	18. Flippin, Ark.
19. McKinney, Texas	19. Blue Ridge, Ga.	19. Ash Flat, Ark.
20. Temecula, Calif.	20. Ocoee, Fla.	20. Apple Valley, Minn.
21. St. George, Utah	21. Spokane Valley, Wash.	21. West Seneca, N.Y.
22. Vallejo, Calif.	22. Central, S.C.	22. Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.
23. Jersey City, N.J.	23. Takoma Park, Md.	23. Brooklyn, Conn.
24. Lubbock, Texas	24. Hot Springs Village, Ark.	24. Comanche, Texas
25. Reno, Nevada	25. Keene, N.H.	25. Chamblee, Ga.

U-Haul 2016 Canadian Growth Cities will be released on Feb. 6. U-Haul will announce its top Destination Cities as "Moving Season" kicks off with Memorial Day weekend. While growth data summarizes arriving and departing one-way traffic, destination data factors in only arrivals.

About U-Haul
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 21,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to more than 139,000 trucks, 108,000 trailers and 38,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers more than 536,000 rooms and more than 50 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S. www.uhaul.com

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

SOURCE U-Haul