Michigan makes gains in moving data, with fewer people leaving state

Michigan’s outbound and inbound migration nearly equal in 2025, according to a trio of moving and truck rental companies
State improves to 41st in annual U-Haul growth index, topping Ohio and Illinois in the Great Lakes region
Despite population outflows, projections show modest growth through 2034

Michigan’s population may be continuing to stabilize as nearly equal numbers of people moved to and from the state in 2025, according to data from multiple moving and truck rental companies.

The rosiest figures came from Atlas Van Lines, which in December reported that its data show Michigan’s inbound migration outpaced outbound migration for the first time in years, with moves to the state accounting for 52% of all one-way traffic.

United Van Lines was slightly less optimistic, reporting 51% outbound migration for Michigan, compared to 49% inbound.

Similarly, U-Haul on Monday reported customers leaving Michigan accounted for a narrow 50.2% of all one-way traffic in and out of the state last year, compared to 49.8% inbound. Arrivals increased 4% from the previous year, while departures rose by 3%, the company said.

The uptick in arrivals helped Michigan climb to 41st on the 2025 U-Haul Growth Index, a two-spot improvement from 2024 and the state’s highest ranking since 2020, when it placed 40th. In the Great Lakes region, Michigan ranked lower than Minnesota (19), Indiana (25) and Wisconsin (26), but higher than Ohio (43) and Illinois (49).

The migration data could signal sustained population growth for Michigan, which added 57,103 residents between July 2023 and July 2024 in what was the first substantial gain in years, according to the US Census Bureau. The bureau is expected to release state population estimates for 2025 later this month after delays caused by last year’s federal government shutdown.

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Migration patterns are only one part of the population puzzle, said Jaclyn Butler, the state demographer for the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics, who noted that overall population estimates will be affected by other factors, such as births and deaths.

Michigan has a substantial population of baby boomers, and as they age into mortality years, the state’s population could decline again.

“Even if the total population decreases, there can be important movement in underlying components, such as domestic migration or international migration, and understanding whether we’re retaining and attracting working and family-aged residents,” Butler said.

The state is particularly interested in measuring the size of the workforce and family-age population, she added. “We’re thinking about the importance of attracting working-aged residents and implications for tax revenues, and thinking about implications for the labor force.”

Moving factors

Sluggish population growth has been a major concern in Michigan, which is aging. As of last year, roughly 20% of the state’s population was age 65 or older, according to the federal estimates.

In 2023, in response to the state’s population woes, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer formed a commission of business and civic leaders to look for ways to increase population. It suggested education reforms, increased public transportation and millions in community investments.

The most recent US Census data shows that as of July 1, 2024, Michigan had about 10,140,459 residents. The state’s Center for Data and Analytics projects that the population will grow by 231,000 people, or 2.3% through 2034, before declining by 1.3% to roughly 9.9 million people by 2050.

Where else are people moving? The data differs by company.

Florida was among the states that saw the most growth last year, according to the U-Haul index, alongside Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina.

United Van Lines, meanwhile, reported that Oregon, West Virginia, South Carolina, Delaware and Minnesota had the highest shares of inbound movers — which company experts attributed to economic factors.

Cost was the primary factor in 3% of moves to Michigan, according to United.

Most people who moved to or from Michigan last year did so for family reasons, a factor cited in 40% of inbound moves and 32% of outbound moves, according to the United data. Another 30% left the state for jobs, compared to 19.5% who moved to Michigan for employment.

Nearly half of the people who moved to Michigan in 2025 made $150,000 or more, according to United. Lower earners were more often moving out of Michigan than moving to it.

“For most Americans, interstate relocation is no longer a linear calculation; it’s a complex decision balancing multiple competing factors,” Michael A. Stoll, an economist and professor at The University of California, Los Angeles, said in a statement distributed by United.

“It is interesting to see that in general, population movement continues from North/Midwest regions to Southern states – and again top inbound locations dominated by smaller to medium-sized metro areas. This reflects a legacy of COVID-era preferences for lower-density living, combined with the reality that housing costs continue to drive people toward more affordable regions.”