Scenic Southern state where the most Americans flocked to in 2024

A scenic southern state was the most popular place for Americans relocating in 2024.

According to a new study from moving company U-Haul, South Carolina was the state where the most Americans flocked to last year. 

The state knocked Texas off the top spot, which had led the ranking for the last three years, but The Lone Star State still came in second place. 

North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee, meanwhile, rounded out the top five states.

The study calculates the most popular state for movers by looking at more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul trips taken by Americans over the course of the year.

It found that the trend of southern states netting larger numbers of one-way U-Haul customers continued last year. 

'State-to-state transactions from the past year reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time,' said U-Haul international president John 'J.T.' Taylor. 

'Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families gauge their cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors that go into relocating to a new state.'

South Carolina is known for its history, beaches, bustling cities and natural beauty - as well as its relatively low cost of living. 

It boasts cities such as Charleston and Greenville, as well as popular vacation spot and retirement destination Myrtle Beach.  

Myrtle Beach, which is situated along a 60-mile string of beaches, is visited by more than 18 million people every year. 

But it is also a hot spot for retirees. Between 2020 and 2023, the Myrtle Beach area, which is home to 14 communities, had the fastest growing population of over-65s in America. 

The beachfront city saw a 23 percent increase in older Americans over those three years, according to the US Census Bureau. 

Taylor added that many states across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast are continuing to see residents leave in their droves - with California particularly affected. 

California experienced the greatest net loss of do-it-yourself movers in U-Haul equipment, and ranks 50th for the fifth consecutive year, the study found.

New York, at number 47 on the list, placed at its lowest place in the ranking in a decade. 

Oklahoma, Indiana and Maine were the biggest risers year-over-year, moving up 30, 19 and 18 spots, respectively, in the ranking. 

Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming and New Mexico, meanwhile, saw the biggest slides in 2024.

Colorado fell 31 spots, Nevada was down 24, Wyoming decreased 22 and New Mexico fell 21 places in the ranking. 

The uptick in migration to southern states rings true with other studies, which have found that Americans are being tempted by cheaper cost of living, more housing options and lower taxes. 

A separate study released earlier this month also outlined the states Americans are fleeing from in their droves. 

Data from Atlas Van Lines found the highest number of residents were leaving Louisiana, California, Illinois, South Dakota and New York. 

Key reasons for moving included a lack of jobs, high living costs, taxes, and extreme weather.