t’s crystal clear where the older generations are moving so far in 2026: southern destinations.
It’s a mixed bag for the younger generations, though, with a few prominent out-migration states such as California and New York witnessing a welcome uptick in arrivals from Gen Z.
For its 2026 midyear migration report, U-Haul analyzed one-way transactions based on the generational group of its renters, considering customer moves over a 52-week period from July 2025 through June 2026. The analysis examines both national migration patterns and departing one-way traffic from every U.S. metro with a population of 1 million or more.
U-Haul, the industry leader in DIY moving and home of the 1-Year Storage Price Lock, facilitates millions of one-way transactions annually through accessible, affordable mobility solutions.
The data indicates the renter’s generation, or stage of life, plays a vital role in where their moving truck, trailer, or U-Box® moving container is going.
Sorting by generation groups and based on each state’s net gain or loss of one-way U-Haul equipment from July 2025 through June 2026, the national data shows some clear generational distinctions:
- Baby Boomers are flocking to the Carolinas. Six of the top seven net-gain states for boomers are in the sunny Southeast and the other is Arizona—all hot spots for retirees or winter homes.
- Generation X and millennials are typing Florida and Texas in their GPS more than anywhere else. However, each group’s preferences differ after that. Gen X keeps to the Southeast and Mountain West. Millennials are scattering to California and several Midwest states for their careers.
- Generation Z is gravitating to densely populated markets with numerous colleges, entry-level jobs, and apartment access. Texas and California top their list. New York, Illinois, and Colorado follow, reflecting a diverse blend of geography and politics in their destinations.
The metro-level data reinforces those differences while showing that migration patterns can vary significantly depending on where a mover is starting. Across the major U.S. metros tracked in the report, boomers generally favor destinations in the Southeast, Southwest, and other areas associated with retirement and second-home living. Gen X tends to remain concentrated in the Southeast and Mountain West, while millennials show a broader mix of Sun Belt, Midwest, and Western destinations.
Gen Z stands apart from the older generations. Its leading destinations include some of the nation’s largest and most densely populated metropolitan areas, including New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The metro-level results suggest that younger movers are continuing to gravitate toward markets offering colleges, jobs, and access to apartments and other rental housing.
For example, Atlanta’s departing U-Haul traffic shows South Carolina, North Carolina, and Alabama among the top destinations for boomers, while Texas and Florida lead the Gen X and millennial lists. For Gen Z movers leaving Atlanta, Texas, New York, and California are the leading states.
Similar patterns emerge in other major markets. Boomers leaving Chicago are most likely to head toward Wisconsin, Florida, and Michigan, while Gen X and millennials also show strong ties to the Midwest and Florida. Gen Z movers leaving Chicago, meanwhile, favor New York, California, and New Jersey.
In California, the picture is somewhat different. The report shows that younger generations are not simply abandoning the state. Among Gen Z movers leaving Fresno, for example, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and Oregon are the leading destinations, while the San Francisco Bay Area remains a prominent net-gain metro for younger movers. Millennials leaving Los Angeles show Texas, Oregon, Tennessee, Colorado, and Utah among their leading states.
The findings illustrate why national migration trends can sometimes obscure significant differences between generations and individual metropolitan areas.
The following is a further breakdown of generational relocations on a national scale.
(July 2025 to June 2026)
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Florida
- Arizona
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Oklahoma
- Georgia
Top U-Haul Net-Gain Metros
(July 2025 to June 2026)
- Gainesville-Ocala, Fla.
- Myrtle Beach, S.C.
- Phoenix, Ariz.
- Charleston, S.C.
- Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Ariz.
- Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Ala.
- Spokane, Wash.
- Tucson, Ariz.
- Daytona Beach, Fla.
- Wilmington, N.C.
(July 2025 to June 2026)
- Florida
- Texas
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Utah
- Idaho
- North Carolina
- Arizona
- Arkansas
Top U-Haul Net-Gain Metros
(July 2025 to June 2026)
- Fort Myers, Fla.
- Charleston, S.C.
- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla.
- Nashville, Tenn.
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Wilmington, N.C.
- Tampa, Fla.
- San Diego, Calif.
- Gainesville-Ocala, Fla.
(July 2025 to June 2026)
- Florida
- Texas
- California
- Ohio
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Washington
- Virginia
Top U-Haul Net-Gain Metros
(July 2025 to June 2026)
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Orlando, Fla.
- San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.
- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
- Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
- Boise, Idaho
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla.
- Brownsville-McAllen, Texas
- Huntsville, Ala.
(July 2025 to June 2026)
- Texas
- California
- New York
- Illinois
- Colorado
- Washington
- New Jersey
- Florida
- Pennsylvania
- Nevada
Top U-Haul Net-Gain Metros
(July 2025 to June 2026)
- New York City, N.Y.
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
- Chicago, Ill.
- San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.
- Los Angeles, Calif.
- Austin, Texas
- Charlotte, N.C.
- Denver, Colo.
- Seattle, Wash.
- Houston, Texas
*Customers must be 18 to rent a U-Haul truck and 16 to rent a U-Haul trailer
Florida is the lone state with a top-10 net gain among all four generations. Texas ranks very high for everyone but boomers, while Idaho makes it on three lists.
The metro-level report further illustrates the strength of Florida and Texas as destinations for multiple generations. Major markets including Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Orlando, Miami, Tampa, and Fort Myers appear repeatedly among the leading destinations, although their appeal varies by generation and point of origin.
For older movers, the Carolinas, Florida, Arizona, and other Sun Belt destinations remain particularly prominent. The U-Haul metro data also highlights retirement-oriented destinations such as Myrtle Beach, Gainesville-Ocala, Phoenix, Charleston, and Fort Myers.
Younger generations have a wider geographic footprint. Gen Z’s national list includes Texas, California, New York, Illinois and Colorado, while its metro destinations are dominated by major population centers. New York City ranks No. 1, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago, with the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles also making the top 10.
Metro areas like College Station, Gainesville, Lubbock, Lexington, Tallahassee, Manhattan (Kan.), Champaign, Madison, and Baton Rouge show sizeable gains among Gen X contract holders, indicating many parents help their university-bound children move.
The presence of college-oriented markets throughout the metro data provides another indication of the different life stages represented in the migration figures. While retirees may be seeking warmer climates and lower-cost or lifestyle-oriented destinations, younger movers can be influenced by education, employment, and housing opportunities.
U-Haul’s midyear analysis offers a snapshot of those shifting preferences based on actual one-way equipment movements. The full report includes migration trends for major U.S. metros with populations greater than 1 million, allowing the national findings to be viewed through the lens of individual markets. Find the 2025 recap and more U-Haul migration trends reports and rankings at uhaul.com/about/migration.