The state of Georgia slipped 10 spots down from last year and ranked 18 among states with the highest growth in the nation, according to an annual study produced by U-Haul.
The study, titled the “U-Haul Growth Index,” states that one-way customer moves into Georgia fell by 5% while one-way moves out of state also fell by 4%.
According to the report, “Georgia has been a net-gain state for one-way U-Haul customers every year since 2019.”
The top five states U-Haul customers are moving to are Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Naturally, the statistics are not empirical since U-Hall is only one of several commercial moving companies; however the figures do align with empirical data by UGA’s Terry School of Business.
Business Dean Ben Ayers spoke at the 2024 Georgia Economic Outlook series and told the crowd that while Georgia’s growth did shrink to 3% overall, the state is still far above the national growth average of .08%.
Ayers credits strong demographics and economic development for adding extra protection against any downturns in the national economy.
“The build-out of many large projects in the economic development pipeline and favorable demographics are the main reasons why Georgia will fare better than the nation,” Ayes was quoted as saying.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
