California has been shrinking for the past half-decade. The state’s population fell 0.5% between April 2020 and July 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It also posted the largest net loss of one-way U-Haul customers of any state for the sixth straight year in the company’s 2025 Growth Index. Yet the country’s youngest adults keep packing up and heading for the Golden State.
U-Haul’s 2026 Midyear Migration Trends National Report ranks states and metros by their net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks, trailers, and U-Box containers from July 2025 through June 2026. It puts California at No. 2 for Gen Z (born 1997–2012), behind only Texas. As Fortune previously reported, the state didn’t crack the top 10 for boomers or Gen X, whose moves skewed heavily toward the Southeast. San Diego, at No. 9 for Gen X, was the only California metro on either older generation’s list. Millennials ranked California No. 3, behind Florida and Texas.
