Media Relations

Moving statistics and U-Haul fun facts

  •   U.S. population is approximately 3.1 people.
  •   40 to 50 million people may move this year.
  •   17 to 20 million people may move this summer.
  •   1 in 5 persons move each year.
  •   The average person moves 11 times in a lifetime.
  •   Nearly 45 percent of all moves occur between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
  •   3/4 of all movers are do-it-yourselfers.
  •   2/3 of all movers move locally.
  •   1/3 of all people in their 20s move in a given year.
  •   On average, a do-it-yourself move can be accomplished for 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of a van-line move.

How it all began:
Since 1945, U-Haul has been serving do-it-yourself moving households. Like many other successful ventures, the concept for U-Haul was generated out of need. After World War II, there was a widespread need for do-it yourself moving equipment that would be available on a one-way, nationwide basis. U-Haul co-founders L.S. “Sam” Shoen and his wife, Anna Mary Carty Shoen, recognized that need and acted upon it. After Sam was discharged from the Navy in the summer of 1945, 29-year-old Sam and Anna Mary tried to rent a utility trailer to move their possessions from Los Angeles to Portland, but it couldn't be done. They had to take only what they could fit in the car. Within two weeks of leaving Los Angeles, the first U-Haul trailer was parked on a service station lot and being offered for rent in Ridgefield, Wash.

U-Haul Fun Facts

Did you know?...
The annual mileage of North American U-Haul trucks, trailers and tow dollies would move a family to the moon and back more than 10 times per day, every day of the year, and could also travel around the Earth 184 times per day, every day of the year.

In 1959, U-Haul introduced trucks into its rental fleet. Today U-Haul is the biggest do-it-yourself rental operation in the world and owns the largest fleet of truck, trailers and towing devices in the industry.

U-Haul designs, engineers and manufactures its trailers and moving vans exclusively for the do-it-yourself household mover.

U-Haul is the only company in the industry that operates in all 50 U.S. states and 10 Canadian provinces.

U-Haul offers self-storage space at locations throughout North America as well as U-Box moving and self-storage pods, which are available to consumers on an international basis.

U-Haul is the nation's largest supplier of propane. U-Haul centers are equipped with propane-refilling stations for alternative fuel vehicles and backyard barbecues.

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