This North Carolina metro area was No. 1 in the country for growth in 2019, U-Haul says
The top-growing metro area in the country is right here in North Carolina, according to new data from the do-it-yourself moving company U-Haul.
The Raleigh-Durham market was No. 1 for growth in 2019, said the company, which says it made its list after calculating the number of self-service trucks that went to and left on one-way trips.
“We’re seeing Silicon Valley talent and companies flock to the area,” Kris Smith, the company’s Raleigh president, said last week in a news release. “With a competitive cost of living, good wages and job growth, Raleigh-Durham is experiencing a boom in population.”
Statewide, North Carolina ranked No. 3 for growth in the United States, a jump from No. 24 the previous year, according to U-Haul.
So how did the location earn a spot near the top?
“Arrivals of one-way U-Haul trucks in the Raleigh-Durham market were up more than 3% while departures dropped more than 2% compared to the market’s 2018 numbers,” the company said in its news release.
The Triangle area wasn’t the only region in the Tar Heel State to show up in U-Haul’s latest data.
Wilmington earned a No. 24 spot among the top 25 places for growth.
U-Haul says its numbers don’t have a direct correlation to population but can be “an effective gauge of how well cities and states are attracting and maintaining residents.”
Data from Carolina Demography has found people in 2017 were flocking to North Carolina, with more coming from Florida than any other state, The News & Observer reported.
And a recent analysis from WalletHub determined the Raleigh suburbs of Apex, Holly Springs and Wake Forest were among the best small cities in the United States.
Overall, Illinois’ migration trends landed it at the bottom of U-Haul’s nationwide list.
This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 9:07 AM with the headline "This North Carolina metro area was No. 1 in the country for growth in 2019, U-Haul says."
