New figures offered more evidence of an exodus from California, showing an increasing number of people who left the Golden State in 2020.
Moving company U-Haul ranked California last on the state’s growth list, giving it the distinction as the state with the strongest migration. The study said California came in last place by a wide margin, replacing Illinois, which occupied 50th place the previous year.
U-Haul conducted its analysis based on migration patterns, calculating the net gain of its one-way trucks entering a state versus leaving that state.
California ranked 50th in the U-Haul state’s annual growth ranking. (U-Haul)
“People who come to California in one-way U-Haul trucks have decreased by more than 12% year on year, while departures have fallen by more than 10% compared to 2019,” explained the company, adding: “Arrivals represented a little more 49.4% of all one-way U-Haul traffic during 2020, down from 49.8% the previous year. “
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The figures also showed that the Bay Area, and particularly San Francisco, was among the main regions that saw an increase in departures in the months after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in the United States in March.
California ranked 50th in the U-Haul state’s annual growth ranking. And the Bay Area was among the main regions that saw an increase in departures.
The 30 most populous cities in the U.S. have witnessed more U-Haul trucks leaving than arriving in the next three months. “This indicated that customers who were able to move, in general, were looking to escape from urban centers to less crowded destinations,” said the moving company.
U-Haul said that in 2019, San Francisco was considered a city that has grown, with more trucks coming in than leaving. “But in 2020, San Francisco was the epicenter of the Bay Area exodus. Departures accounted for 58% of all one-way U-Haul traffic from March to June,” said the researchers, adding that San Jose and Oakland reflected similar trends .
The company said the main destinations for people leaving the Bay Area include the Sacramento Roseville, San Diego and Stockton region. Many who chose to leave California landed in Reno, Las Vegas, Portland, Phoenix and Seattle.
U-Haul also said that Tennessee was another popular destination for many Californians who moved out of the state.
“Tennessee has no income tax and is very supportive of business. There are lots of jobs. People and companies are paying attention,” said Jeff Porter, president of Nashville’s U-Haul Company. “Nashville is always growing, and even the COVID-19 era is not slowing it down. We were seeing movement before the virus arrived, but I think the situation has pushed many more people from the West Coast into our state. “Porter added.
Tennessee climbed to first place among growth states in 2020 (from 12th place the year before). Texas was the second in growth, followed by Florida.
U-Haul said its growth data provides an effective view of how states and cities are attracting and retaining their residents.
Here is a complete list of U-Haul’s 2020 state migration growth rankings:
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Florida
- Ohio
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Missouri
- Nevada
- North Caroline
- Georgia
- Arkansas
- Indiana
- Wisconsin
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- West Virginia
- Utah
- Kentucky
- Montana
- Minnesota
- Kansas
- Alabama
- New Hampshire
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Delaware
- Virginia
- Maine
- Idaho
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- Wyoming
- Alaska
- Rhode Island
- Washington
- North Dakota
- Washington DC *
- New Mexico
- Michigan
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- Connecticut
- Louisiana
- Oregon
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- Illinois
- California