It’s also worth noting that it’s not entirely clear whether these one-way rentals were always used in the case of someone relocating. U-Haul admits that tracking one-way rentals from one state to another isn’t an exact representation of “population or economic growth,” but it can serve to show “how well states, metros, and cities are attracting and maintaining residents.”
In 2025, one-way rental data showed that everything may actually be bigger in Texas, as the state saw the largest U-Haul growth, according to the company’s report. The previous year, Texas came in second behind South Carolina, which slipped to No. 5 in the latest report.