Colorado continues to rank among the top 10 destinations for do-it-yourself movers, according to the latest analysis of national migration trends based on U-Haul truck rentals.

Colorado dropped one spot to seventh in the 2021 U-Haul Growth Index. Denver, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs ranked among the top cities in the state for growth. Other cities with net gains included Montrose as well as Boulder, Durango, Pagosa Springs, Pueblo and Silverthorne.

U-Haul bases the rankings on one-way trucks entering and leaving states and cities during a calendar year. Information is collected from more than 23,000 U-Haul truck and trailer rental locations. U-Haul handles more than 2 million one-way truck rental transactions a year.

While U-Haul statistics don’t correlate directly to population or economic growth, they offer a measure of how states attract and retain residents.

“People are moving to Colorado,” said Adam Walker, president of U-Haul Company of North Western Colorado.  “The outdoor life is very appealing. With the pandemic, individuals are seeking nature and being outdoors versus indoors. Additionally, the locals are very friendly, and it feels welcoming.”

U-Haul customers made Texas and Florida their top two destinations in 2021, followed by Tennessee in third. Those states comprised the top three for a second straight year, with Tennessee taking top honors in 2020. Texas is the leading growth state for the fourth time in the last six years, and has never ranked lower than second in that span.

Along with Colorado, South Carolina, Arizona, Indiana, Maine, Idaho and New Mexico rounded out the top 10 states for 2021 growth as self-movers continued to migrate to the Southeast as well as to markets in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions.

California ranked last and Illinois 49th for a second straight year as the states with the greatest net loss of U-Haul trucks. Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Alabama rounded out the bottom five states.