Need proof that Florida’s recent population growth is going strong? There’s nothing like a moving van to confirm it.
U-Haul’s annual Growth Index is out, revealing eight Florida cities among the top 10 for growth locations in 2025, and 12 cities among the top 25. It also featured Ocala as the top U.S. growth city for the second consecutive year (and the third time in the last four years). And, Florida was the No. 2 growth state in the U.S. for 2025 behind No. 1 Texas.
The 2025 report, released in early January 2026, uses one-way moving transactions to track migration patterns and destinations over the previous year. Need to say, Florida fared quite well thanks to the preponderance of new residents who loaded up U-Hauls in 2025.
And, the news gets even better the further we dig into the report.
Key Takeaways
- Florida continues to be one of the nation’s top relocation destinations, with multiple cities ranking among the fastest-growing in the U.S. according to U-Haul’s 2025 Growth Index.
- Popular Florida markets like Ocala, North Port, St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, and the Sarasota area continue to attract new residents seeking lifestyle, opportunity, and quality of life.
- ICI Homes builds in many of Florida’s fastest-growing regions, offering a variety of custom home opportunities across the state.
- Choosing a home in one of Florida’s high-growth communities allows homeowners to enjoy thriving locations with long-term appeal and strong lifestyle benefits.
The details
Per its website, U-Haul calls itself, “the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces.”
You can decide whether its Grown Indexes are industry standard, but there’s no doubt they’re helpful migration indicators, as noted in its January release: “While rankings may not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states, metros and cities are attracting and maintaining residents.”
What fueled U-Haul’s 2025 Growth Indexes? Data “compiled from well over 2.5 million annual one-way transactions across the U.S. and Canada.”
Fair enough. The company cites its geographical presence above, plus data and feedback gleaned from more than 24,000 rental locations as the source behind this annual statistical road map of where people move.
Where Florida cities ranked in the top five of U-Haul’s 2025 growth cities: North Port was No. 2 behind No. 1 Ocala. Kissimmee was No. 4 and Clermont was No. 5.
Top-10: Fort Lauderdale (No. 7), St. Augustine (No. 8), Daytona Beach (No. 9) and Panama City (No. 10).
Remaining top-25 Florida growth cities of 2025: North Fort Myers (No. 12), Leesburg (No. 16), Sarasota (No. 18) and St. Cloud (No. 19).
Relocate to ICI Homes
Planning a move to Florida? We at ICI Homes are busy in many of the top-performing cites in U-Haul’s 2025 Growth Index.
We’re developing Oakmont in Gainesville, only a half hour north of Ocala. We’re a preferred builder at Silverleaf in St. Augustine and developing our community of Middlebourne in nearby St. Johns. We’re also a preferred builder at the master-planned communities of Sunbridge and Lake Nona near St. Cloud, Kissimmee and Clermont.
Check out Mosaic, our master-planned community in Daytona Beach, along with our nearby communities of Woodhaven in Port Orange, and Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club in Ormond Beach.
In the Sarasota area, we’re a preferred builder at Wellen Park, near North Port.
Ready for your new custom Florida home? Talk to ICI Homes here.