Scenic Southern state where the most Americans flocked to in 2024

A scenic southern state was the most popular place for Americans to move in 2024.

According to a new one study According to moving company U-Haul, South Carolina was the state where most Americans flocked to last year.

The state knocked Texas out of the top spot, which has topped the rankings for the past three years, but The Lone Star State still ranked second.

North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee, meanwhile, rounded out the top five states.

The study calculates the most popular state for movers by looking at the more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul trips Americans made over the course of the year.

It showed that the trend of southern states receiving larger numbers of one-way U-Haul customers continued last year.

“State-to-state transactions over the past year confirm customer trends that have been present for some time,” said John “JT” Taylor, international president of U-Haul.

“Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families assess their cost of living, employment opportunities, quality of life and other factors involved in moving to a new state.”

South Carolina is known for its history, beaches, vibrant cities and natural beauty, as well as its relatively low cost of living.

It features cities like Charleston and Greenville, as well as the popular vacation and retirement destination Myrtle Beach.

Myrtle Beach, located on a stretch of 60 miles of beaches, is visited by more than 18 million people annually.

But it is also a hotspot for retirees. Between 2020 and 2023, the Myrtle Beach area, home to fourteen communities, had the fastest growing population of people 65 and older in America.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the beachside city saw a 23 percent increase in the number of older Americans over those three years.

Taylor added that many states in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast are still seeing residents leave in large numbers, with California particularly affected.

California had the largest net loss of do-it-yourself movers in U-Haul equipment, ranking 50th for the fifth consecutive year, the study found.

New York, at number 47 on the list, is at its lowest ranking in a decade.

Oklahoma, Indiana and Maine were the biggest gainers year-over-year, moving up 30, 19 and 18 spots in the rankings, respectively.

The study calculates the most popular state for movers by looking at the more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul trips Americans made over the course of the year.

South Carolina has cities like Charleston and Greenville, as well as the popular vacation and retirement destination Myrtle Beach

South Carolina knocked Texas out of the top spot, which had topped the rankings for the past three years, but The Lone Star State was still in second place (Photo: Big Bend National Park)

Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming and New Mexico, meanwhile, saw the biggest declines in 2024.

Colorado fell 31 places, Nevada fell 24 places, Wyoming fell 22 places and New Mexico fell 21 places in the rankings.

The increase in migration to the Southern states is consistent with other studies showing that Americans are enticed by a cheaper cost of living, more housing options and lower taxes.

A separate study published earlier this month also outlined the states that Americans are fleeing in droves.

Data from Atlas Van Lines showed that the largest number of residents left Louisiana, California, Illinois, South Dakota and New York.

The top reasons for moving included a lack of jobs, high costs of living, taxes and extreme weather.