MS among fastest growing states in 2025, U-Haul says. Folks moved to these cities the most
Mississippi saw one of the largest year-over-year increases in inbound migration in the United States in 2025, with three coastal cities seeing big gains, a recent study found.
The Magnolia State ranks 21st nationwide for population growth in 2025, climbing 18 spots from its 2024 ranking, according to data published in January by U-Haul, a moving and storage company.
The state saw a 4% increase in U-Haul customers moving into the state and a 1% rise in departures, the study found.
But where in Mississippi did U-Haul customers move to? And why did people decide to move? Here’s what to know.
Which MS cities are people moving to?
Three cities on the coast, Bay St. Louis, Ocean Springs and Pascagoula, were among those that saw the most growth, a U-Haul study found.
Here are all the Mississippi cities that welcomed the most new residents in 2025, according to the study:
- Batesville
- Bay St. Louis
- Grenada
- Horn Lake
- Lucedale
- Madison
- Natchez
- Ocean Springs
- Olive Branch
- Oxford
- Pascagoula
- Ridgeland
- Sumrall
- Vicksburg
- Wiggins
Which states are experiencing the most growth?
These are the top five growth states for 2025, according to the U-Haul study:
1. Texas
2. Florida
3. North Carolina
4. Tennessee
5. South Carolina
Which states are people moving away from the most?
These are the top five states that people moved out of, according to the U-Haul study:
1. California
2. Illinois
3. New Jersey
4. New York
5. Massachusetts
Why do people move?
The following two trends stood out for why people move, U-Haul analysts said:
- Warm weather: eight of the top 10 growth states are located in the South, while eight of the bottom 10 states are northern states.
- Blue-to-red state migration: seven of the top 10 growth states have Republican governors, while nine of the bottom 10 states have Democrat governors.
“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,” John Taylor, U-Haul International president, said in a Jan. 5 news release. “But other factors can be important to people who are looking to change their surroundings.”
How did U-Haul conduct study?
Growth states were ranked by their net gain or loss of U-Haul customers in 2025, determined by comparing the state’s in-migration to its out-migration, U-Haul analysts said.
