According to data released by U-Haul, a leading moving truck rental company, St. Louis has been named as the 11th most popular destination for movers in 2022. The ranking, which is based on more than 2 million one-way U-Haul rentals, marks a significant improvement for the city, which did not make the top 25 in the previous year.
St. Louis was one of only a few cities in the Midwest to make the list, alongside Madison, Wisconsin and West Chester, Ohio. Ocala, Florida took the top spot on the list, with Sacramento coming in second and Madison in third.
The U-Haul Growth Index, which measures the net gain of one-way truck rentals arriving in a city against those leaving, is a useful tool for tracking migration trends and gauging the attractiveness of different regions to residents. While it is not a comprehensive measure of population or economic growth, the index can provide insight into how successful cities are at retaining and attracting residents.
This year, four Florida locations were among the top 25 on the U-Haul Growth Index, with Palm Bay-Melbourne, North Port, and Surprise also ranking highly. Other cities in the top ten included Auburn-Opelika, Alabama; Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Huntsville, Alabama.
Overall, the data released by U-Haul suggests that St. Louis has seen a surge in popularity as a destination for movers in 2022, with the city making its first appearance on the list of top growth cities.