U-Haul 2016 Growth State No. 5: MISSOURI

PHOENIX and ST. LOUIS, Jan. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Missouri is the No. 5 U.S. Growth State for 2016, according to the latest U-Haul migration trends report.

Missouri climbed 13 spots from its No. 18 ranking on the 2015 growth states list. Its year-over-year arrivals of one-way U-Haul truck rentals rose 6 percent last year, and departures went up 5 percent as overall U-Haul traffic increased among do-it-yourself movers in the state.

Arrivals accounted for 50.4 percent of U-Haul traffic in 2016 thanks to locations like St. Louis, Liberty, Dardenne Prairie, Warsaw and St. Charles, the cities to pace Missouri in its net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks. St. Louis ranked 34th among U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities for locations with a population of more than 50,000 due to a 5 percent increase in year-over-year arrivals.

Follow the Top 10 Growth States daily countdown through Feb. 3 on Twitter @uhaul and view other migration trends reports, including the U.S. Growth Cities release, at myuhaulstory.com.

Growth States are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul truck rentals entering a state versus leaving a state 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.

"Downtown St. Louis has been revitalized," said Steve Langford, U-Haul Company of St. Louis president. "Many loft-style apartments, bars, retail stores and grocery stores are catering to a younger generation. In response to these urban developments, businesses are growing, expanding and evolving."

Last year, U-Haul added company-owned and -operated stores in several cities including Kansas City, Lake St. Louis and Florissant.

"The Midwest has hardworking people," said U-Haul Company of Northern Kansas president Gary Wittkopp, whose territory includes parts of Missouri, namely Kansas City. "People in Missouri like to move their own goods. They know U-Haul is the economic and convenient way to do that."

Find U-Haul stores and neighborhood dealers in Missouri at uhaul.com/locations.

U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The geographical coverage from more than 21,000 U-Haul locations, including neighborhood dealers and Company-owned and -operated stores, provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.

About U-HaulSince 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 21,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to more than 139,000 trucks, 108,000 trailers and 38,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers more than 536,000 rooms and more than 50 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S. www.uhaul.com

ContactJeff LockridgeSebastien ReyesE-mail: [email protected]Phone: 602-760-4941Website: uhaul.com

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SOURCE U-Haul