A Welcome to Indiana sign is shown at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond. Photo by Joseph S. Pete
People are moving to Indiana in droves.
Indiana ranks sixth nationally for inbound migration, up from 12th last year, according to an annual study U-Haul does of its one-way interstate truck rentals.
Illinois ranked second and Michigan eighth in outbound migration, meaning more people were moving out than moving in, U-Haul found. Northwest Indiana has seen a steady influx of south suburban Chicago residents from Illinois in recent years, with many settling in the Tri-Town, Crown Point and Valparaiso areas in particular.
The study looks at one-way U-Haul trucks entering or leaving a state, assessing whether more people are moving in or moving out. More than two million such transactions take place across the country every year.
For years, more densely populated areas like the Midwest and Northeast have been seeing more people move out than move in. The Sunbelt and South have been attracting more new residents than they've been losing to outbound migration.
Last year, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Arizona were the top states more people were moving to than moving out of, according to the annual U-Haul Growth Index. More people moved out of California than any other state in 2021. U-Haul said it even ran out of inventory to keep up with demand.
Texas took back the top spot in inward migration it held from 2016 through 2018, according to U-Haul. Florida was first nationwide in 2019 and Tennessee in 2020.
“We see a lot of growth coming from the East and West Coast,” said Matt Merrill, U-Haul Area District Vice President of the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex and West Texas. “A lot of people moving here from California and New York. We also see a lot of people coming in from the Chicago markets. I think that’s a lot due to the job growth — a lot of opportunity here. The cost of living here is much lower than those areas.”
Texas grew statewide, with the most growth taking place in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs. Arrivals accounted for 50.2% of one-way U-Haul traffic in Texas last year with a 19% increase in one-way truck arrivals.
“The Texas economy is growing fast,” said Kristina Ramos, U-Haul Company of South Austin president.
Colorado, Maine, Idaho and New Mexico filled out the top 10 for net inbound migration.
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