After surging briefly thanks to all the scared flatlanders fleeing the pandemic, Maine has once again dropped in U-Haul’s annual ranking of the top growth states.
In 2021, Maine ranked 8th.
But in the 2022 report, released this month, Maine has fallen to 29th.
Based on moving equipment rental data, U-Haul publishes a report every January that shows which states are the most frequent end destination for movers.
The report doesn’t show all net in-migration. For example, it doesn’t show migration by those who arrive in Maine without any belongings for a moving truck to carry.
But it’s a pretty good indication of how people already living in the United States are relocating in response to state policies, economic conditions, and a host of other variables.
According to the report, fewer U-Haul customers are relocating to Maine than to Iowa, Alabama, and Missouri.
The top ranking states in the 2022 report are Texas, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
What do those states have in common?
For one, all of those states, with the exception of North Carolina, currently have Republican governors.
For another, three of those states — Texas, Florida, and Tennessee — have no state income tax.
Can you spot a trend in Maine’s ranking since 2015 in the U-Haul Growth Trend reports?
2022 – Maine was 29th
2021 – Maine was 8th
2020 – Maine was 29th
2019 – Maine was 33rd
2018 – Maine was 10th
2017 – Maine was 26th
2016 – Maine was 6th
2015 – Maine was 9th
