Tampa Bay area cities among U-Haul's fastest growing in 2023: Report
Front view of a U-Haul moving truck in the parking lot of an apartment complex in 2016. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).
SARASOTA, Fla. - U-haul released its annual Growth Index report, ranking the top U.S. growth cities and states for movers in 2023, and several Tampa Bay area cities ranked among the top growth markets.
Florida destinations dominated the top 25 growth cities, leading all states with seven, and Florida ranked as the second-largest growth state, only behind Texas.
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Among the top 25 growth cities in the 2023 index were Sarasota-Bradenton (No. 4), North Port (No. 13), and Lakeland (No. 20). According to U-Haul, this year marked the seventh straight that the Sunshine State had the most cities represented.
The Growth Index is compiled from over 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box moving container transactions. It is calculated by each city's net gain (or loss) of one-way equipment.
For the fourth year in a row, California reflected the largest net loss of one-way movers. Other bottom-five states for growth were Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, and Massachusetts.