California’s population has shrunk since 2020, but a new U-Haul report suggests young Americans haven’t given up on the Golden State just yet.
U-Haul’s 2026 Midyear Migration Trends National Report, released July 29, analyzes 52 weeks of customer moves from July 2025 through June 2026. Its rankings are based on each state’s and metro area’s net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks, trailers, and U-Box containers, which offers a rough picture of where Americans are relocating.
The report breaks that data down by generation. It shows where baby boomers (born 1946–64), Gen X (born 1965–80), millennials (born 1981–96), and Gen Z (born 1997–2012) are heading.
Boomers and Gen Xers favor warm, lower-cost destinations in the Southeast. Younger Americans, meanwhile, are still gravitating toward the country’s most populous states and cities. California ranked No. 3 among U-Haul net-gain states for millennials and No. 2 for Gen Z. The San Francisco Bay Area was the No. 4 net-gain metro for both generations, and Los Angeles ranked No. 5 for Gen Z. U-Haul said the two younger generations “may be helping curb California’s exodus.”
That runs counter to the state’s broader trajectory. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, California’s population fell 0.5% between April 2020 and July 2025, while the U.S. population grew 3.1%. In the most recent year of estimates, California lost about 9,500 residents, largely because of a steep drop in immigration. The state also ranked last on U-Haul’s 2025 Growth Index, posting the largest net loss of one-way U-Haul customers of any state for the sixth straight year.
Among millennials, only Florida and Texas outranked California. For Gen Z, only Texas did. Gen Z’s appetite for big cities extends well beyond the West Coast. New York ranked No. 3 among the generation’s net-gain states, and New York City was its top net-gain metro, with Chicago, Denver and Seattle also making the top 10. That’s a contrast with recent trends that saw young workers leave San Francisco for more affordable “welcomer” cities like Nashville and Orlando, and with rankings that favor cheaper Midwest and Texas cities as the best places for new grads.
California didn’t crack the top 10 states for either boomers or Gen X. The only California metro on either generation’s list was San Diego, at No. 9 for Gen X. The Carolinas topped the boomer state rankings. Florida, a perennial boomer retirement favorite, came in at No. 3 for boomers and was the top net-gain state for Gen X. Both generations’ top five metros were all in Florida, South Carolina, Arizona and Tennessee. Nearly every metro on the two lists is in the Sun Belt. The only exceptions were Salt Lake City, No. 6 for Gen X, and Spokane, Wash., No. 7 for boomers.
Millennials’ metro picks also lean toward the Sun Belt, led by Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston and Orlando, with Boise, Idaho, and the Bay Area as the main outliers. At the state level, though, millennials showed up in the Midwest, with Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin all in their top 10. U-Haul attributed that shift to career moves. Gen Z’s list was the most geographically diverse, with major metros in the Northeast, Midwest, South and West.
Florida was the only state to rank in the top 10 for all four generations. Texas made every list except the boomers’, and Idaho made every list except Gen Z’s.
Millennials account for the largest share of one-way U-Haul transactions, followed closely by Gen X. Together, the two generations make up more than 60% of the company’s rentals. Because each move is assigned to the generation of the person who signs the rental contract, the picture can blur. U-Haul noted sizable Gen X gains in college towns such as Gainesville, Fla., and Madison, Wis., suggesting many parents are renting trucks to move their kids to school. Customers must also be 18 to rent a U-Haul truck (16 for a trailer), so the youngest members of Gen Z aren’t represented.
U-Haul isn’t the only moving company, and plenty of Americans relocate without renting a truck at all, so the report isn’t a definitive measure of population change. Still, the company handles millions of one-way moves each year, which makes its data a useful snapshot of where Americans are heading.
Here’s U-Haul’s full generational breakdown:
Baby boomers (born 1946–64)
Top U-Haul net-gain states (July 2025–June 2026)
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Florida
- Arizona
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Oklahoma
- Georgia
Top U-Haul net-gain metros (July 2025–June 2026)
- Gainesville-Ocala, FL
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- Phoenix, AZ
- Charleston, SC
- Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
- Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
- Spokane, WA
- Tucson, AZ
- Daytona Beach, FL
- Wilmington, NC
Gen X (born 1965–80)
Top U-Haul net-gain states (July 2025–June 2026)
- Florida
- Texas
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Utah
- Idaho
- North Carolina
- Arizona
- Arkansas
Top U-Haul net-gain metros (July 2025–June 2026)
- Fort Myers, FL
- Charleston, SC
- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Nashville, TN
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Wilmington, NC
- Tampa, FL
- San Diego, CA
- Gainesville-Ocala, FL
Millennials (born 1981–96)
Top U-Haul net-gain states (July 2025–June 2026)
- Florida
- Texas
- California
- Ohio
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Washington
- Virginia
Top U-Haul net-gain metros (July 2025–June 2026)
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Houston, TX
- Orlando, FL
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA
- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
- Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
- Boise, ID
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
- Brownsville-McAllen, TX
- Huntsville, AL
Gen Z (born 1997–2012)
Top U-Haul net-gain states (July 2025–June 2026)
- Texas
- California
- New York
- Illinois
- Colorado
- Washington
- New Jersey
- Florida
- Pennsylvania
- Nevada
Top U-Haul net-gain metros (July 2025–June 2026)
- New York City, NY
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Chicago, IL
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Austin, TX
- Charlotte, NC
- Denver, CO
- Seattle, WA
- Houston, TX