Boomers are fleeing to the Carolinas. Gen Z is still chasing California and Texas. And U-Haul’s latest numbers just confirmed it.
U-Haul’s 2026 Midyear Migration Trends report tracks one-way truck, trailer, and U-Box moves from July 2025 through June 2026. It’s not perfect census data, but with millions of moves, it’s one of the clearest real-time snapshots of where people are packing up and going.
The generational split is stark.
Boomers (1946–64): The Carolinas Win
They’re done with cold winters and high costs. South Carolina and North Carolina took the top two spots. Florida, Arizona, and Alabama rounded out the top five. Almost every metro on their list sits in the Sun Belt—Gainesville-Ocala, Myrtle Beach, Phoenix, Charleston, Lake Havasu. The only real outliers: Spokane and Tucson.
Gen X (1965–80): Florida Is Still King
Florida claimed the No. 1 state ranking, followed by Texas, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. Their top metros read like a retirement-and-lifestyle brochure: Fort Myers, Charleston, Sarasota, Miami, Nashville. San Diego sneaked in at No. 9—the only California city that registered for either older generation.
Millennials (1981–96): Texas, Florida… and California
Florida and Texas still lead, but California jumps to No. 3. Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin also cracked the top 10—career moves, not just beach dreams. Metro winners: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Orlando, then the San Francisco Bay Area. Boise and a cluster of Florida mid-size markets fill out the rest.
Gen Z (1997–2012): Big Cities Aren’t Dead
Texas is No. 1. California is No. 2. New York is No. 3. Then Illinois, Colorado, Washington, New Jersey. Their top metros? New York City, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Austin, Charlotte, Denver, Seattle, Houston. Gen Z is still betting on the country’s biggest, most expensive job markets.
The Bigger Picture
Florida is the only state that ranks in the top 10 for every generation. Texas appears on every list except the boomers’. Idaho shows up everywhere except Gen Z.
California’s overall population has shrunk since 2020, and the state has posted the largest net U-Haul loss for six straight years. Yet millennials and Gen Z are still moving in at meaningful rates—enough that U-Haul says the younger generations “may be helping curb California’s exodus.”
Millennials and Gen X together account for more than 60% of one-way U-Haul rentals. Note: the generation is assigned to whoever signs the contract, so some “Gen X” gains in college towns are almost certainly parents moving their kids.
U-Haul isn’t the whole market, and plenty of people move without renting a truck. Still, when this many people point their trucks in the same directions, the pattern is hard to ignore.
Boomers want warm and cheap. Gen Z still wants opportunity—even if it costs more. The rest of us are somewhere in between.