People Continue To Leave CT: New Reports Detail Reasons For Exodus

More people moved out of Connecticut in 2025 compared to people who moved into the state, according to recent reports by moving companies.

U-Haul in January issued the results of its U-Haul Growth Index, which analyzed one-way customer transactions during 2025.

The company ranked states by their net gain (or loss) of customers who rented a one-way truck, trailer or U-Box moving container in one state, then dropped it off in another state.

Connecticut ranked at 42 out of 50 among the states for growth. Connecticut’s in-migration was at 49 percent, compared to 51 percent out-migration, according to the company.

Texas and Florida had the highest levels of in-migration, according to U-Haul, with those states taking the first and second place rankings respectively.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, California’s exodus was the highest among the 50 states, making it the lowest growth state on the list, according to U-Haul.

Warm weather appears to be appealing to movers, as eight of the top 10 states are southern ones, and eight of the bottom 10 states are northern ones, U-Haul’s report shows.

John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president, said similar factors tend to prompt moves nationwide.

“We continue to find that life circumstances — marriage, children, a death in the family, college, jobs and other events — dictate the need for most moves,” he said.

Read More:

• Town's Only Restaurant Housed At Historic Site Will Close: Reports
• Restaurant Closes Abruptly After Less Than A Year
• Restaurant Closes Permanently After 35-Year Run

Different company, similar findings

Another moving company, United Van Lines, issued its 2025 National Movers Study in late December.

That company also found more people are moving out of Connecticut compared to people moving in. It reported Connecticut had 53 percent outbound migration, compared to 46 percent inbound migration, among its customers.

For those moving out of Connecticut, the primary reasons were listed as job (24.4 percent), retirement (21.8 percent), family (21 percent), cost (6.7 percent), lifestyle (5.9 percent) and health (1.7 percent), the United Van Lines report shows. The largest age group leaving Connecticut, at 39.6 percent, included residents age 65 and up.

United Van Lines concluded that American migration patterns are most often due to wanting to be closer to family, followed by job-related reasons, such as a new job or transfer.

Michael A. Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, said multiple factors are at play when it comes to interstate relocation.

After COVID, there has been a preference for lower-density living, according to Stoll.

“Housing costs continue to drive people toward more affordable regions,” Stoll said.

The United Van Lines report showed its top 10 inbound states of 2025, where more people are moving to, included Oregon, West Virginia, South Carolina, Delaware, Minnesota, Idaho, North Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama and Nevada.

The states seeing the most people moving out in 2025 included New Jersey, New York, California, North Dakota, Colorado, Mississippi, and Massachusetts, according to United Van Lines.