Summer is moving season, and odds are you have seen a U-Haul truck being unloaded at a home near you because Metro Phoenix continues to be a popular destination for people moving in the United States.
With nearly half of all residential moves in the U.S. occurring between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends each year, the U-Haul midyear migration trends report answers the question: “Where did those new neighbors come from?”
READ MORE: Arizona Department of Water Resources sued over groundwater rule
READ MORE: Pinal County: How a rising region continues to climb
Many of the largest U.S. metros are in growth mode — a change from what was seen following the COVID-19 pandemic when people took advantage of remote work and migrated to less-crowded markets. More recently, big cities and their expanding suburbs are back to greeting a robust inflow of U-Haul equipment.
U-Haul, which is celebrating 80 years of Moving America, looked at its one-way customer transactions from January to July 2025 to determine the leading origins for trucks, trailers and U-Box® moving containers bound for the 35 metro areas with populations greater than 2 million.
If you live in one of these large metro areas, here are the top places where U-Haul do-it-yourself movers started their journey to find a better life near you:
Phoenix: A Top Destination in 2025
As one of the nation’s fastest-growing metro areas, Phoenix continues to see strong inbound migration from other western states and major cities. According to U-Haul’s midyear data:
Top Origin States for People Moving to Phoenix (excluding Arizona):
- California
- Texas
- Colorado
- Nevada
- Washington
- Utah
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Illinois
- Florida
Top Origin Metro Areas Outside Arizona:
- Los Angeles, CA
- Las Vegas, NV
- Denver, CO
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Seattle, WA
Top Origin Cities Within Arizona:
- Tucson
- Prescott
- Flagstaff
- Lake Havasu City
- Yuma
Arizona as a Launch Point: Where Are Arizonans Moving?
While Arizona continues to welcome new residents, it’s also a major origin state for people relocating to other fast-growing cities, especially across the West and Southwest.
Arizona Ranked as a Top Origin State For Movers Headed To:
- Austin, TX
- Dallas, TX
- Denver, CO
- Houston, TX
- Kansas City, MO/KS
- Las Vegas, NV
- Los Angeles, CA
- Minneapolis, MN
- Portland, OR
- Riverside, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA
- Seattle, WA