Tempe is America’s new No. 1 Growth City in 2017, and Surprise, Arizona came in at No. 14, according to U-Haul data analyzing the past year’s U.S. migration trends.
Year-over-year arrivals of one-way U-Haul truck rentals rose 39 percent while departures climbed 1 percent from Tempe’s 2016 numbers. Arrivals accounted for 53.8 percent of all one-way U-Haul truck traffic in Tempe, which replaced another booming big-college city – Madison – atop the rankings. Wisconsin’s capital slipped just outside the top 25 to No. 31 after staking its claim to the No. 1 growth spot for 2016. Surprise is the only other Arizona city to make the list.
Tempe has added more than 30,000 jobs in the last four years and 20,000 residents since 2010.
“There are a lot more apartments and condos coming in around the ASU campus,” said Whitney Beall, U-Haul Company of Metro Phoenix and the Easy Valley. “Tempe is a centralized area in the Valley of the Sun. With easy access to connecting freeways and public transportation, it makes the DIY moving experience to Tempe much easier.”
Growth Cities are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul truck rentals entering a city versus leaving a city during a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 1.7 million one-way U-Haul truck rental transactions that occur annually.
U-Haul released its Growth States rankings Monday. Texas topped the list for a second straight year, followed by Florida, Arkansas, South Carolina and Tennessee. California unseated Illinois for No. 50 as the biggest net-loss state.
U-Haul Top 25 U.S. Growth Cities of 2017
1. Tempe Ariz.
2. Boise Idaho
3. Miami Fla.
4. Atlanta Ga.
5. Tacoma Wash.
6. Sacramento Calif.
7. Pittsburgh Pa.
8. McKinney Texas
9. Richmond Va.
10. Jersey City N.J.
11. Olympia Wash.
12. Durham N.C.
13. Redding Calif.
14. Surprise Ariz.
15. Kissimmee Fla.
16. Yonkers N.Y.
17. San Francisco Calif.
18. Brooklyn N.Y.
19. Brandon Fla.
20. Edmond Okla.
21. Manhattan N.Y.
22. Saint Cloud Fla.
23. Murrieta Calif.
24. Prosper Texas
25. Myrtle Beach S.C.