Mass Opportunity Alliance in the News
U-Haul Ranks Massachusetts Near the Bottom for Growth — Again
The state improved slightly to 46th place, up from 49th last year.
Massachusetts continues to lag in population growth, landing 46th in the 2025 U-Haul Growth Index — a modest rise from 49th last year but still firmly in the bottom five states for migration.
The state has consistently ranked low on the U-Haul Growth Index, with data showing more one-way rentals leaving the state than entering it.
Since 2015, when Massachusetts ranked No. 36 on the index, its ranking has steadily declined to 42 in 2016, 46 in 2017, 47 in 2019, and 49 in 2023 and 2024.
Trailing Massachusetts this year are New York (47), New Jersey (48), Illinois (49), and California (50).
And everyone seems to be moving to the Sunshine States: Texas (1), Florida (2), and North Carolina (3).
High housing costs and the cost of living are certainly factors driving people to move out of the Northeast and California.
There are still plenty of people moving to the state, however, with a mid-year report from U-Haul showing that people were indeed moving to the Boston area — mostly from other Northeast cities. And despite U-Haul’s data, Massachusetts’ overall population grew in 2024 due to international immigration.
The U-Haul report echoes a December 2025 poll from the Mass Opportunity Alliance, a nonprofit working to advance business interests in the state, which found that 1 in 3 voters are either personally considering leaving this year or know someone who is.
“The latest U-Haul Growth Index shows Massachusetts ranked near the bottom of the nation in inbound moves — a clear sign we are losing competitive ground compared with states like Texas, Florida and others attracting more residents,” said Christopher R. Anderson, MOA co-organizer and president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, in a statement.
“Restoring our state’s competitive edge must be a priority,” he continued.