Florida is the #2 Growth State in 2025
Annual U-Haul ranking report lists Florida as the 2nd most popular moving destination in the U.S.
People continue moving to Florida, and in large numbers. Based upon U-Haul's annual ranking report, Florida ranked as the #2 growth state in 2025, narrowly being beaten out by Texas for the accolade as the nation's top growth state. North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina round out the "Top 5" growth states.
U-Haul's ranking list, which comprises more than 2.5 million truck-sharing transactions that occur annually, calculates growth states by looking at the net gain of U-Haul trucks entering a given state, vs leaving it, in a single calendar year.
J.T. Taylor, U-Haul International President states "We continue to find that life circumstances — marriage, children, a death in the family, college, jobs and other events — dictate the need for most moves. But other factors can also be important to people who are looking to change their surroundings."
Florida previously ranked as the #4 growth state in the nation for 2024 (and #2 in 2023). States with the least amount of growth in 2025 include California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts.
As more people continue to move to the sunshine state each year, Florida is currently ranked as the 3rd most populated state behind California (39.5 million) and Texas (31.0 million). To view the size of Florida's metropolitan areas, and how they compare, visit our Florida's 10 Largest Metropolitan Areas page.
U-Haul's ranking list, which comprises more than 2.5 million truck-sharing transactions that occur annually, calculates growth states by looking at the net gain of U-Haul trucks entering a given state, vs leaving it, in a single calendar year.
J.T. Taylor, U-Haul International President states "We continue to find that life circumstances — marriage, children, a death in the family, college, jobs and other events — dictate the need for most moves. But other factors can also be important to people who are looking to change their surroundings."
Florida previously ranked as the #4 growth state in the nation for 2024 (and #2 in 2023). States with the least amount of growth in 2025 include California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts.
As more people continue to move to the sunshine state each year, Florida is currently ranked as the 3rd most populated state behind California (39.5 million) and Texas (31.0 million). To view the size of Florida's metropolitan areas, and how they compare, visit our Florida's 10 Largest Metropolitan Areas page.
Top Growth States (2025)
| Rank | State | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Texas | 31.0 Million |
| 2. | Florida | 23.4 Million |
| 3. | North Carolina | 11.1 Million |
| 4. | Tennessee | 7.3 Million |
| 5. | South Carolina | 5.4 Million |
Source: U-Haul Top Growth States 2025
U-Haul further examined their data of one-way destination trips (of which their trucks were being driven to) to determine the top growth cities and metro areas for 2025. For your convenience, we have mapped these top growth cities and metro areas in Florida to provide a visual of the growing and popular Florida destinations people are moving to.
Top Florida Growth Cities (2025)
| Rank | City |
|---|---|
| 1. | Ocala |
| 2. | North Port |
| 3. | Kissimmee |
| 4. | Clermont |
| 5. | Fort Lauderdale |
| 6. | St. Augustine |
| 7. | Daytona Beach |
| 8. | Panama City |
| 9. | North Fort Myers |
| 10. | Sarasota |
Top Florida Growth Metros (2025)
| Rank | Metro Area |
|---|---|
| 1. | Lakeland |
| 2. | Palm Bay - Melbourne |
| 3. | Jacksonville |
| 4. | Port St. Lucie |
| 5. | Miami - Fort Lauderdale |
