Where Americans Are Moving by Generation: U-Haul Data Shows Boomers Picking the Carolinas and Gen Z Choosing Texas and California
Key Takeaways
- •U-Haul's midyear report, based on one-way truck, trailer, and U-Box moves from July 2025 through June 2026, placed California second among Gen Z's top net-gain states and third among millennials'.
- •Census Bureau figures show California's population declined 0.5% from April 2020 to July 2025 while the U.S. population grew 3.1%, with the state losing roughly 9,500 residents in the most recent year largely due to a steep drop in immigration.
- •Boomers and Gen X favored warm, lower-cost Sun Belt locations, with the Carolinas leading boomer state rankings and Florida topping Gen X, while California failed to appear in either generation's top states.
- •Florida was the only state to rank in the top 10 for all four generations, Texas made every list except the boomers', and Idaho made every list except Gen Z's.
- •Because U-Haul is not the only moving company and each move is attributed to the contract signer's generation, the midyear rankings serve as a snapshot rather than a definitive measure of population change.
California’s population has shrunk since 2020, but a new U-Haul report suggests young Americans have not given up on the Golden State just yet.
U-Haul’s 2026 Midyear Migration Trends National Report, released July 29, analyzes 52 weeks of customer moves from July 2025 through June 2026. The rankings are based on each state’s and metro area’s net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks, trailers, and U-Box containers, offering a rough picture of where Americans are relocating. The report also breaks the data down by generation, showing where baby boomers (born 1946–64), Gen X (born 1965–80), millennials (born 1981–96), and Gen Z (born 1997–2012) are heading.
The findings reveal a stark generational divide. Boomers and Gen Xers favor warm, lower-cost destinations in the Southeast, while younger Americans continue to gravitate toward the country’s most populous states and cities. California ranked No. 3 among U-Haul net-gain states for millennials and No. 2 for Gen Z. The San Francisco Bay Area was the No. 4 net-gain metro for both generations, and Los Angeles ranked No. 5 for Gen Z. U-Haul said the two younger generations “may be helping curb California’s exodus.” Migration data of this kind draws attention well beyond the moving industry, because population flows into and out of a state have a bearing on its housing demand, labor pool, and tax base.
That runs counter to the state’s broader trajectory. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, California’s population fell 0.5% between April 2020 and July 2025, while the U.S. population grew 3.1%. In the most recent year of estimates, the state lost roughly 9,500 residents, largely because of a steep drop in immigration. California also ranked last on U-Haul’s 2025 Growth Index, posting the largest net loss of one-way U-Haul customers of any state for the sixth straight year. Among millennials, only Florida and Texas outranked California; for Gen Z, only Texas did.
Gen Z’s appetite for big cities extends well beyond the West Coast. New York ranked No. 3 among the generation’s net-gain states, and New York City was its top net-gain metro, with Chicago, Denver, and Seattle also making the top 10. That contrasts with recent trends that saw young workers leave San Francisco for more affordable “welcomer” cities like Nashville and Orlando, and with rankings that favor cheaper Midwest and Texas cities as the best places for new grads.
California did not crack the top 10 states for either boomers or Gen X. The only California metro on either generation’s list was San Diego, at No. 9 for Gen X. The Carolinas topped the boomer state rankings. Florida, a perennial boomer retirement favorite, came in at No. 3 for boomers and was the top net-gain state for Gen X. Both generations’ top five metros were all in Florida, South Carolina, Arizona, and Tennessee, and nearly every metro on the two lists is in the Sun Belt. The only exceptions were Salt Lake City, No. 6 for Gen X, and Spokane, Wash., No. 7 for boomers.
Millennials’ metro picks also lean toward the Sun Belt, led by Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and Orlando, with Boise, Idaho, and the Bay Area as the main outliers. At the state level, though, millennials showed up across the Midwest, with Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin all in their top 10. U-Haul attributed that shift to career moves. Gen Z’s list was the most geographically diverse of the four, spanning major metros in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West.
Florida was the only state to rank in the top 10 for all four generations. Texas made every list except the boomers’, and Idaho made every list except Gen Z’s.
Millennials account for the largest share of one-way U-Haul transactions, followed closely by Gen X; together, the two generations make up more than 60% of the company’s rentals. Because each move is assigned to the generation of the person who signs the rental contract, the picture can blur. U-Haul noted sizable Gen X gains in college towns such as Gainesville, Fla., and Madison, Wis., suggesting many parents are renting trucks to move their kids to school. Customers must also be 18 to rent a U-Haul truck (16 for a trailer), so the youngest members of Gen Z are not represented.
U-Haul is not the only moving company, and plenty of Americans relocate without renting a truck at all, so the report is not a definitive measure of population change. Still, the company handles millions of one-way moves each year, which makes its data a useful snapshot of where Americans are heading. These midyear rankings are a halfway read, and U-Haul’s annual Growth Index — the year-end ranking that placed California last in 2025 — is the one to watch for a fuller-year view of whether the younger generations’ California showing holds.
Here is U-Haul’s full generational breakdown:
Baby Boomers (Born 1946–64)
Top U-Haul net-gain states (July 2025–June 2026)
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Florida
- Arizona
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Oklahoma
- Georgia
Top U-Haul net-gain metros (July 2025–June 2026)
- Gainesville-Ocala, FL
- Myrtle Beach,
- Phoenix, AZ
- Charleston, SC
- Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
- Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
- Spokane, WA
- Tucson, AZ
- Daytona Beach, FL
- Wilmington, NC
Gen X (Born 1965–80)
Top U-Haul net-gain states (July 2025–June 2026)
- Florida
- Texas
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Utah
- Idaho
- North Carolina
- Arizona
- Arkansas
Top U-Haul net-gain metros (July 2025–June 2026)
- Fort Myers, FL
- Charleston, SC
- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Nashville, TN
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Wilmington, NC
- Tampa, FL
- San Diego, CA
- Gainesville-Ocala, FL
Millennials (Born 1981–96)
Top U-Haul net-gain states (July 2025–June 2026)
- Florida
- Texas
- California
- Ohio
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Washington
- Virginia
Top U-Haul net-gain metros (July 2025–June 2026)
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Houston, TX
- Orlando, FL
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA
- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
- Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
- Boise, ID
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
- Brownsville-McAllen, TX
- Huntsville, AL
Gen Z (Born 1997–2012)
Top U-Haul net-gain states (July 2025–June 2026)
- Texas
- California
- New York
- Illinois
- Colorado
- Washington
- New Jersey
- Florida
- Pennsylvania
- Nevada
Top U-Haul net-gain metros (July 2025–June 2026)
- New York City, NY
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Chicago, IL
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Austin, TX
- Charlotte, NC
- Denver, CO
- Seattle, WA
- Houston, TX
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.
