Boise and Idaho tabbed as growing markets by moving firms

Whether it’s a do-it-yourselfer heading down the road in a rented truck or a professional mover doing the job, Idaho ranks among the top destinations in the country, according to data released this week by several national moving companies.

In U-Haul’s annual migration trends report for 2018, Boise ranked No. 23 of the top 25 markets it analyzed, a drop from 2017’s No. 2 ranking.

Sacramento was the No. 1 city for do-it-yourself movers, a market that is an attractive option for Californians “priced out of the Bay Area,” the company said.

For its “U.S. Growth Cities” ranking, U-Haul calculated the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a market versus leaving that market during the calendar year. Migration data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck rental transactions that occur annually.

While migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the data is an effective gauge of how well states and cities are attracting and retaining residents, according to U-Haul.

The U-Haul network covers all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces.

Looking at The Gem State as a whole, it wasn’t just the City of Trees that was attracting new residents. Idaho jumped nine spots to become the No. 5 growth state in America in the past year, according to U-Haul. The company said it saw a 7 percent uptick in arrivals of one-way trucks in Idaho over 2017, the company announced Jan. 2.

Idaho ranked 14th in 2017 and has been in growth mode for several years, claiming the No. 7 spot in 2016 and No. 21 in 2015.

Texas registered as the No. 1 growth state for the third consecutive year, according to U-Haul. Florida ranked second for a third year in row. South Carolina inched up one spot to No. 3, while fast-risers Utah and Idaho rounded out the top five states for growth, the company said.

Bringing up the rear was Illinois, which was 50th on the list for the third time in four years, outpacing No. 48 California and No. 49 Michigan for net departures among out-migration states.

Idaho’s popularity is also reflected in United Van Lines’ 42nd Annual National Movers Study, released Jan. 2. The company reported that Idaho was the third most popular state for in-bound moves by its customers, with 63.4 percent of shipments for those moving to the state.

Not to be outdone, Atlas Van Lines’ newly-released annual migration patterns study shows Idaho is moving to the top of places that its customers want to move. In Atlas’ study, Idaho had the second-highest percentage of inbound moves in the entire U.S. (63 percent). Atlas made 646 moves into the state and only 330 out of state in 2018, the company said.

U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities for 2018

1. Sacramento/Roseville, CA

2. Spring, TX

3. Manhattan, NY

4. Harrisburg, PA

5. Grand Rapids/Wyoming, MI

6. San Francisco, CA

7. Greenville, SC

8. Fort Lauderdale, FL

9. Madison, WI

10. Kissimmee, FL

11. McKinney, TX

12. Pittsburgh, PA

13. Springfield, VA

14. Palm Springs/Cathedral City, CA

15. St. George, UT

16. Davis, CA

17. Bradenton, FL

18. Myrtle Beach, SC

19. Temecula, CA

20. Takoma Park, MD

21. Port St. Lucie, FL

22. Smyrna, GA

23. Boise, ID

24. Concord, CA

25. Davenport, FL