SF’s Exodus: U-Haul Traffic Out of Bay Area Soared in 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has coincided with more do-it-yourself movers leaving densely populated U.S. areas, specifically New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area, according to a U-Haul special report analyzing migration trends from 2020.

U-Haul transaction data also reveals Americans are moving again in growing numbers, and have been since May.

In addition to its annual growth states and growth cities rankings and reports, U-Haul considered the potential influence the virus had on self-movers, and looked at regions where overwhelming demand for one-way U-Haul trucks mirrored consistent out-migration.

From the time that President Trump declared the pandemic a National Emergency in March, the 30 most populated U.S. cities (based on 2019 Census estimates) all witnessed more U-Haul trucks departing than arriving over the next three months.

The Bay Area and New York City were among the most prevalent out-migration markets in U.S. during this three-month period – and throughout 2020.

San Francisco was a slight growth city in 2019, with more U-Haul trucks entering the city than leaving it. But in 2020, San Francisco was the epicenter of the Bay Area’s exodus.

Departures accounted for 58% of all one-way U-Haul traffic from March through June. Limited fleet inventory prevented the numbers from being more lopsided in favor of departures. The ratios in San Jose and Oakland were similar.

For the entire Bay Area, arrivals from March-December 2020 dropped 31% year-over-year, while departures tapered by just 12% from their 2019 pace to create the disparity of more trucks going out than coming in.

LEAVING THE BAY AREA – Top Destinations
Top destination cities for U-Haul customers leaving the Bay Area during the pandemic include the Sacramento/Roseville corridor, San Diego and Stockton. Outside of California, the top destinations are Reno, Las Vegas, Portland, Phoenix and Seattle.

The top 10 states DIY movers from the Bay Area customers are migrating to are: California (outside the Bay Area); Nevada; Arizona; Oregon; Washington; Colorado; Texas; Utah; Idaho; and New Mexico.

PEOPLE ARE MOVING AGAIN
Self-moves sputtered in April when shutdowns across the country generated uncertainty. But starting in May, one-way U-Haul truck rentals began to rise with each passing month. May is traditionally the start of the summer moving season, with nearly half of all household moves occurring between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.

Read more at SF Chronicle. See the full report at uhaul.com