Wanna get away?

It appears that many Bay Staters want to as Massachusetts remains stuck in the basement for one-way U-Haul customer moves — with southern states leading the way in attracting residents.

Massachusetts was again ranked the second worst state for one-way U-Haul movers last year, coming in 49th on the U-Haul Growth Index. California ranked last, 50th, for the fifth year in a row.

While the Bay State is in the bottom two states, a state agency spokesperson told the Herald there are signs that the out-migration trend is “reversing” — and added that Gov. Maura Healey’s administration “aims to build on this momentum by continuing our work to make Massachusetts more affordable and grow our economy.”

U-Haul growth states are ranked by their net gain — or loss — of U-Haul customers over the past year. This stat is calculated by comparing each state’s one-way arrivals that originated in other states, with its one-way departures that were destined for other states.

The Bay State’s one-way arrival percentage last year was 48% and its departure percentage was 52%.

The U-Haul 49th state ranking for Massachusetts compares to the 2015 ranking of 36th place — when the arrival percentage was 49.9% and the departure percentage was 50.1%.

The top U-Haul growth states last year were southern states: South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee.

“State-to-state transactions from the past year reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time,” said John Taylor, U-Haul international president. “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.

“Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast — and particularly California,” Taylor added.

Looking at year-over-year changes, U-Haul arrivals into Massachusetts fell 3.5% while departures fell 4%, as overall moving traffic slowed last year.

“U-Haul’s 2024 report saw departures from Massachusetts decline at a faster rate than arrivals to Massachusetts,” a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development said in a statement.

Some of the leading growth cities in Massachusetts include: Boston, Quincy, Wilmington, Fall River, Plymouth, Fitchburg, Leominster, Hyannis, East Falmouth, Kingston, Franklin, Ayer, Upton and Westfield.

The bottom 10 states on the U-Haul list are: California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Maryland, and Connecticut.

“While U-Haul rankings may not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states and cities are attracting and maintaining residents,” U-Haul wrote about the rankings.

This report comes in the wake of data from the Census Bureau that shows Massachusetts continues to lose a significant number of residents to out-migration.

While Census Bureau population estimates show an increase of 18,481 people in 2023, that was largely thanks to an influx of 50,000 new foreign immigrants.

In 2023, an estimated 184,534 individuals over a year old left Massachusetts for other states, while 145,021 relocated here from other states. On net, the Bay State lost 39,513 domestic residents.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts experienced an increase in domestic net outmigration consistent with an overall national trend of heightened migration during the pandemic,” a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development said in a statement. “Recent data, including from the Census Bureau and U-Haul, show that this trend is reversing.

“U-Haul’s 2024 report saw departures from Massachusetts decline at a faster rate than arrivals to Massachusetts,” the spokesperson added. “Data released in December by the Census Bureau show Massachusetts’ population grew by 1%, equal to the national growth rate, and that domestic outmigration in 2024 has declined by 50% from the 2022 level and is now on par with pre-pandemic levels.”

In 2023, the destination states that welcomed the greatest net number of Bay Staters were Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and South Carolina. Massachusetts lost net residents to every other New England state including Connecticut, a state known for its high cost structure and taxes.

Florida has consistently been one of the states to which Massachusetts loses the greatest number of individuals. From 2010 to 2023 (excluding 2020), Massachusetts experienced a net loss of 90,372 people to Florida — a figure exceeded only by New Hampshire, which saw a net gain of 98,879 relocating Bay Staters. Maine was also a popular destination, with a net total of 62,557 residents relocating there during that period.

“Migration numbers continue to be a major cause for concern for state policymakers, especially as more reliable data from the IRS, using tax returns, shows that more high-income and young filers (26–34) are leaving, bringing their wealth and future tax dollars with them,” Pioneer Institute wrote.

“Recent polls of both important demographics find no easing of this trend,” the research group added. “To make Massachusetts more competitive and attractive to current and potential residents and employers, Massachusetts needs to do more to lower its overall cost structure. Affordability solutions from growing the housing supply, easing tax burdens, and improving public transportation must be considered.”

Originally Published: January 4, 2025 at 6:18 PM EST

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — A Rhode Island man is under arrest after police said he body slammed a woman in an apparent case of road rage in Massachusetts Friday morning, WBZ reported.

The victim says it is a miracle that the situation was not worse.

She is in a lot of pain, but is also thankful to be home after being slammed to the ground in a disturbing video.

“By the time that I realized I was in the air, and I thought to myself, ‘I might die right now,’” said victim Hailea Soares.

The apparent road rage attack, which happened in Attleboro, was so violent that Soares says it is a wonder that she is home from the hospital.

Police said a man is seen on cellphone video snatching the petite mom of two young kids out of her car, picking her up and then slamming her head-first on the ground.

“It was like a weird sensation I felt on my face, and I realized I was on the ground, and I rolled over, and there was blood dripping all over my hands,” Soares said.

Pictures captured the brutal aftermath.

Soares suffered a very serious injury to her skull and eye socket. Her knee and foot are broken. She said she could not move them.

“All I could think was, I’m not going to be able to walk again. I can’t even tend to my kids, I can’t even walk up a staircase, I can’t put my own sock on my foot,” Soares said.

Investigators said the victim had just been in a fender bender with the suspect, Gladior Kwesiah.

“He was just being a jerk off on the road,” Soares said.

Soares said she accidentally hit his car from behind along Route 1 and Route 1A.

After the crash, witnesses say, Kwesiah banged on Soares’ car and yanked her from it. That is when he grabbed her and threw her down on the pavement.

“I don’t know if he was having a bad day. I don’t know what that was, but if that’s the type of person he is, I don’t think he belongs in society with the rest of us,” Soares said.

Given how Soares’ day started, she is thankful she can see her 1-year-old and 8-year-old children again.

“Nothing really matters in life except the people you love that are close to you,” Soares said.

The suspect faces several charges, including assault and battery. Soares is asking the community to pray for her to recover and for everybody to be kind to one another.

(The-CNN-Wire & 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.)

NASHUA, NH — A Hillsborough County grand jury indicted the following people recently.

Kiana Aguilla, 23, of Wall Street in Milford, on a felony insurance fraud charge. She was accused of defrauding and deceiving Progressive when he presented an oral statement he knew contained false information on July 10, 2023, in Milford.

Fernando Alvarez, 36, of Nutt Street in Nashua, on a felony controlled drug act; acts prohibited-subsequent-crack cocaine charge on May 9, 2024, in Nashua. He was convicted on a possession charge in Hillsborough County Superior Court South in February 2019.

Eric Baker, 42, of no fixed address in Nashua, on three first-degree assault felony counts. He was accused of striking another person with a 2×4 piece of wood, causing a broken arm and kicking and punching him, resulting in broken ribs and a pulmonary contusion on Aug 10, 2024, in Nashua, and punching, kicking, and striking the same person with a 2×4 resulting in a head laceration on Aug. 16, 2024, in Nashua. Read about this case here: Man Arrested On Assault-Deadly Weapon Charge After Homeless Camp Incident In Nashua

Eric G. Eastman, 31, of Steele Road in Hudson, on a felony aggravated felonious sexual assault charge. He was accused of sexually assaulting a child under 13 between April 1, 2021, and April 30, 2022, in Hudson.

Jariel Xavier Esmurria, 23, of Second Street in Lowell, Massachusetts, on a felony robbery charge. He was accused of using physical force against another person by pushing them against a wall and forcibly removing shoes from the victim’s feet on April 25, 2024, in Nashua.

Joseph Michael Fletcher, 36, of East Merrimack Street in Lowell, MA, on a felony second-degree assault charge. He was accused of strangling an intimate partner on May 27, 2024, in Nashua.

Wayne Geddes, 45, of Palm Street in Nashua, on second-degree assault-domestic violence and controlled drug act; acts prohibited-cocaine charges, both felonies. He was accused of possessing the drug and strangling an intimate partner on July 4, 2024, in Nashua. Previously, Geddes was convicted on a possession charge in Rockingham Superior Court in October 2005.

Tori Goulette, 47, of Summer Street in Nashua, on a felony possession of a narcotic drug-subsequent offense-crack cocaine charge on Aug. 7, 2024, in Nashua.

David Grover, 38, of Amos Tuck Road in East Kingston, on a felony theft by deception charge. He was accused of committing to render home improvements of more than $1,500 in exchange for money and not performing the work on Jan. 14, 2023, in Hollis.

Miguel Perry, 31, of Amherst Street in Nashua, on four felony controlled drug act; acts prohibited, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, charges. He was accused of selling crack to a cooperating individual of the Nashua Police Department on Sept. 27, Sept. 28, 2022, and Oct. 11, 2023, in Nashua, and possessing the meth on June 5, 2024, in Nashua.

Rodolfo Ramirez Romero, 26, of Prospect Street in Manchester, on a felony motor vehicles; penalties-operating after certification as a habitual offender charge. He was accused of driving a Chevy Tahoe on Pine Hill Road in Hollis on May 11, 2024, after being deemed a habitual offender in November 2023.

Charles Reidy, 31, of no fixed address in Nashua, on a felony controlled drug act; acts prohibited-crack cocaine charge on June 25, 2024, in Nashua. Previously, he was convicted on a possession charge in Hillsborough County Superior Court South in September 2022.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Hillsborough County Superior Court South and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.