U-Haul has revealed the most popular Canadian cities and provinces for DIY movers after analyzing migration patterns from 2021.
U-Haul rated Canadian destinations by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks (i.e. moving vans ranging in size from 10 to 26 feet) arriving in a city versus departing from that city in a calendar year.
The company says migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way truck-sharing transactions that occur annually in Canada and the U.S.
According to the 2021 Canada Migration Trends report, Alberta was the top growth province. More than 50.8% of all U-Haul traffic in Alberta was inflow in 2021 and Alberta saw a 33% increase in the arrival of one-way U-Haul trucks from 2020.
The top cities in Alberta people moved to include Calgary, Red Deer-Lacombe, Medicine Hat-Redcliff and Airdrie.
2021 U-Haul Growth Provinces
| 1. | Alberta (3) |
| 2. | British Columbia (T1) |
| 3. | Ontario (10) |
| 4. | Saskatchewan (8) |
| 5. | Quebec (4) |
| 6. | Newfoundland (6) |
| 7. | Prince Edward Island (7) |
| 8. | Manitoba (9) |
| 9. | Nova Scotia (5) |
| 10. | New Brunswick (T1) |
While Alberta topped the list of growth provinces, North Bay was the top U-Haul growth city for the second consecutive year in a row.
The top 3 Canada’s top 25 growth are in Ontario with Belleville and Greater Sudbury coming in at second and third position respectively. U-Haul says 59.2% of all one-way U-Haul truck traffic in North Bay during 2021 were arrivals.
2021 U-Haul Top 25 Canadian Growth Cities
| 1. | North Bay, ON (1) |
| 2. | Belleville, ON (4) |
| 3. | Greater Sudbury, ON (6) |
| 4. | Quebec City, QC (16) |
| 5. | Calgary, AB |
| 6. | Kelowna-West Kelowna, BC |
| 7. | Kingston, ON (3) |
| 8. | Red Deer-Lacombe, AB |
| 9. | Owen Sound-Port Elgin, ON |
| 10. | North Vancouver, BC (2) |
| 11. | Kamloops, BC |
| 12. | Sault Ste. Marie, ON |
| 13. | Chatham, ON (9) |
| 14. | St. Thomas, ON (13) |
| 15. | Medicine Hat-Redcliff, AB |
| 16. | Sarnia, ON (10) |
| 17. | Brantford, ON (15) |
| 18. | Orillia, ON |
| 19. | Peterborough, ON (12) |
| 20. | Cornwall, ON |
| 21. | Penticton, BC |
| 22. | Abbotsford, BC (11) |
| 23. | Vancouver, BC (7) |
| 24. | Airdrie, AB (19) |
| 25. | St. Catharines, ON |
U-Haul migration trends in its report state that though “the trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well cities are both attracting and maintaining residents.”
Alberta.ca
According to the government of Alberta’s Interprovincial Migration Statistics from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021 (second quarter), the province lost 5,447 residents to other provinces due to migration. Alberta gained the most interprovincial migrants from Manitoba (1,126), Saskatchewan (1,043) and 6,985 individuals left the province for British Columbia.