BC JUMPS TO SECOND IN U-HAUL MIGRATION TRENDS

BRITISH COLUMBIA — British Columbia jumped from ninth place in 2022 to second in 2023 among growth provinces. New Brunswick, the top growth province for 2022, slipped two spots to third place on the latest growth chart.

Alberta is the leading growth province for 2023 while its largest market, Calgary, is Canada’s top growth city based on the one-way U-Haul transactions of do-it-yourself movers.

The U-Haul Growth Index found that Calgary, Edmonton and Camrose were all among Canada’s top 25 growth cities last year, helping Alberta climb from last to first in the moving company’s annual growth province rankings.

Ontario posted the biggest net loss of one-way U-Haul customers in 2023, falling from third to last among provinces on the U-Haul Growth Index. Still, Ontario has nine markets that are top 25 Canadian growth cities – the most of any province – followed by BC with eight.

“We first noticed a strong trend of U-Haul customers moving into Alberta in 2020 because of the affordable housing, and since then the province has continued attracting residents and bringing in new jobs,” stated Naga Chennamsetty, U-Haul Area District Vice President of Western Canada. “Cities like Calgary and Edmonton saw a good influx of new residents again in 2023.”

One-way U-Haul customers arriving in Chilliwack decreased 16% from 2022 while departures decreased 14% as overall moving traffic slowed.

Despite fewer arrivals year-over-year, do-it-yourself movers arriving in Chilliwack still accounted for 50.7% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of the market (49.3% departures) in 2023 to keep it a top-25 destination. Chilliwack ranked as the No. 10 growth city for 2022.

“Many people are being priced out of Vancouver, but they still want access to the amenities it provides,” said Mason Kolahdouzan, U-Haul Company of British Columbia president. “That’s where Chilliwack comes in. It’s only about an hour from Vancouver and offers more reasonably priced homes. It is clear people are noticing the great things Chilliwack has to offer.”

One-way U-Haul customers arriving in Kelowna fell 15% from 2022, but departures fell 16% as overall moving traffic slowed.

Do-it-yourself movers arriving in Kelowna accounted for 51.4% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of the market (48.6% departures) in 2023 to keep it a top-five destination. Kelowna was the fifth-ranked Canadian growth city for 2022.

“I think DIY movers are coming to Kelowna for the mild weather and proximity to the water,” said Mason Kolahdouzan, U-Haul Company of British Columbia president. “The lakeside location is attractive to people from all walks of life. As the Okanagan region continues to gain residents, it becomes more of a technology hub. New startups and software companies are popping up at every turn.”

U-Haul calculates growth cities and provinces by each city’s and province’s net gain (or loss) of one-way equipment from customer transactions in a calendar year. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from well over 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box^® moving container transactions that occur annually across Canada and the U.S.

In Alberta, 51.1% of all one-way U-Haul customers in 2023 were arriving in the province, while 48.9% were leaving. Compared to 2022, this is an 1.6% increase in arrivals versus departures.

The trends were reversed in Ontario, where 49.1% of one-way U-Haul customers in 2023 were arriving in the province, while 50.9% were leaving. This is a 1% decrease in arrivals versus departures from the previous year.

2023 Canadian Growth Provinces

2022 growth rankings in parentheses

2023 Top 25 Canadian Growth Cities

2022 growth rankings in parentheses

While U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well provinces and cities are attracting and maintaining residents.

Source: U-Haul