Connecticut dropped 14 spots in the 2023 U-Haul Growth Index, which ranks the most popular U.S. destinations for movers, after placing in the top 20 in 2021.
Texas has topped the list for three years straight, followed by Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Connecticut ranked 18th in 2021 and 28th in 2022. The Nutmeg State lost ground in 2023, netting 42nd, just ahead of New York.
Connecticut was in a three-way tie for the second-biggest-faller of 2023, ahead of only one state, Oregon, which fell 15 spots. Pennsylvania and Ohio dropped 14 spots, the same as Connecticut.
The U-Haul Growth Index is considered a gauge of how well states and cities are attracting and maintaining residents, though it does not directly measure population growth.
In 2022, Connecticut saw a net increase of nearly 57,000 residents, largely driven by people coming from New York and Massachusetts, according to U.S. Census data.
The rankings derive from data compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box moving container transactions each year.
U-Haul calculates growth states by each state’s net gain (or loss) of one-way equipment from customer transactions in a calendar year.
Migration to states in the southeast and southwest remained strong in 2023, but overall moves were down.
“While one-way transactions in 2023 remained below the record-breaking levels we witnessed immediately following the pandemic, we continued to see many of the same geographical trends from U-Haul customers moving between states,” said John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president.
The full rankings are below:
