LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan is moving up, at least by U-Haul’s count.

The state ranked No. 41 on the company’s latest Growth Index, its highest showing since 2020, based on one-way truck rentals that track where people are relocating. 

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Population and development gains in cities such as Grand Rapids and Traverse City appear to be driving the state’s modest uptick. Still, perspective matters. 

Michigan remains in the lower tier nationally, well behind perennial migration magnets like Texas and Florida, which again topped the rankings alongside fast-growing Southern states such as North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

At the other end of the spectrum, California, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey once again rounded out the bottom of the list, continuing a pattern of outbound moves from high-cost states.

The U-Haul index is based on rental demand, not census data, and reflects moving activity rather than long-term population change.