Indiana ranked sixth among top growth states for 2021

Source: Inside INdiana

More people are moving into the Hoosier State, according to the annual U-Haul Growth Index. The report ranks Indiana No. 6 among growth states in the U.S., compared to No. 12 the previous year.

U-Haul says growth states are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a state versus leaving a state in a calendar year. The data comes from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck customer transactions annually.

The index says Indiana’s top growth cities include South Bend, Noblesville, Fort Wayne, Carmel, Jeffersonville and Elkhart. U-Haul says people coming into Indiana increased 16% compared to 2020, while departures increased 15%.

“Indiana has become a very desirable place to live and work,” said William Meguschar, U-Haul Company of South-Central Indiana president. “All the major economic indicators, including new and existing business growth, have led to jobs and low unemployment. Our economy and a very low-to-moderate cost of living make Indiana attractive. In particular, the overall cost of housing is exceptionally low compared to neighboring states.”

Texas is ranked the No. 1 growth state in the country, followed by Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Arizona. California is ranked at the bottom of the list, along with Illinois, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.