Moving trends show how Wilmington’s growth compares to NC, the country

• North Carolina is the third-ranked growth state in the U.S. for the third consecutive year, according to U-Haul migration data.
• The Wilmington metro area is the third-fastest growing in North Carolina and ranks 26th for growth nationwide.
• Wilmington’s growth slowed in 2025, dropping from the 14th-ranked growth metro in 2024 to 26th.

According to a recent report from U-Haul, North Carolina remains one of the top growth states in the country. So what does this mean for Wilmington?

U-Haul analyzed migration data across the United States based on how many customers are taking U-Haul trucks and trailers on one-way trips in and out of states.

U-Haul’s data — which is comprised of over 2.5 million one-way moves across 24,000 rental facilities — found that North Carolina was the third-ranked growth state in the United States. And this is nothing new — North Carolina has been ranked third for three years running.

When we take a closer look into the state, how does Wilmington stack up against North Carolina’s other major cities?

More: As Wilmington grows, here are 8 projects to watch in 2026

Wilmington, NC’s growth

Have you been feeling like the Wilmington area is getting more crowded? The data shows you aren’t wrong.

Inside North Carolina, the biggest growth metropolitan areas remain the two largest cities: Charlotte and Raleigh. But right behind them in third place is the Wilmington metro area.

And Wilmington isn’t just seeing significant growth compared to the rest of North Carolina — it’s also the 26th ranked growth area in the country.

“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,” the report said.

The report indicated that weather, lower cost of living, and strong public universities could also be driving factors for in-migration to North Carolina.

More: New data shows Wilmington is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state. See the list

Slowing growth?

According to Jeff Lockridge, manager of media and public relations for U-Haul, Wilmington saw a “strong net-gain number” in 2025. But Lockridge said that the growth isn’t as robust compared to the previous year.

Wilmington was the 14th-ranked growth metro in 2024 but dropped 12 spots to 26th in 2025.

This is true of the city proper as well, Lockridge said. In 2025, one-way arrivals into Wilmington were down 10% while departures were only down 6%. This means that the city of Wilmington saw less net gain than previous years in terms of one-way moves.

While Wilmington still sees more U-Hauls coming in than going out, these numbers show that the growth slowed in 2025.

Still, it’s important to note that these numbers only represent change over the course of one year, and don’t necessarily predict the future.

New Hanover County’s most recent comprehensive plan, Destination 2050, stated that the county expects its population grow by 48% between 2020 and 2050.

Charlie Kingree is the trending topics and Pender County reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.