PHOENIX, Ariz. and CALGARY, Alta. (Jan. 9, 2026) — Sarnia is the No. 18 Canadian growth city of 2025, according to U-Haul® Growth Index migration data analyzing one-way customer transactions from the past calendar year.
Sarnia climbs three spots from its No. 21 growth city ranking for 2024.
U-Haul customers arriving in Sarnia accounted for 52.8% of all one-way traffic in and out of the city proper last year (47.2% leaving).
Compared to 2024, U-Haul customers coming to Sarnia rose 8% year-over-year while departures rose 6%.
Cities are ranked by their net gain (or loss) of U-Haul customers who rented a one-way truck, trailer or U-Box® portable moving container in one city proper and dropped off their equipment in another city proper. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul transactions that occur annually in Canada and the U.S.
“Sarnia is really growing because of how affordable it is to live here, and it is absolutely gorgeous,” said David Anstett, U-Haul Company of Western Ontario president. “We have a lot of recreational opportunities here from Lake Huron and the St. Clair River.
“We see a lot of people moving into Sarnia from the Toronto area because it is more affordable to live in. We also see people coming in from smaller towns because Sarnia is still just as affordable to live in, and it’s just a bit bigger and offers more amenities.”
Calgary tops the Canadian growth city rankings for the third consecutive year, followed by Barrie, Montreal, Victoria and Edmonton. Some of Canada’s other most populated markets are among the top 10 cities for gaining do-it-yourself movers in 2025, including Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto.
Ontario boasts nine of the top 25 growth cities. British Columbia has seven and Alberta four.
When analyzing U-Haul traffic in and out of provinces, Alberta and BC again rank first and second, respectively, for the biggest net gains of U-Haul customers. Ontario once again ranks last with the largest net loss among provinces, though it improved over 2024.
While rankings may not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well cities and provinces are attracting and maintaining residents.
Find national press releases on Canada and the U.S. along with past migration trends reports and rankings at uhaul.com/about/migration.
U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 10 Canadian provinces and 50 states. The geographical coverage from more than 24,000 rental locations provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.
Celebrating 80 years of moving families to a better life, U-Haul is a veteran-founded and family-run organization that benefits the environment through its shared-use business model. When communities share U-Haul rentals to meet their moving needs, personal ownership of large-capacity vehicles to transfer belongings becomes unnecessary. Sustainability initiatives such as Adaptive Reuse (the repurposing of existing buildings for stores), truck modifications to improve fuel economy, and plastic Ready-To-Go Boxes® that are shared hundreds of times before being recycled are among the ways U-Haul promotes green business. U-Box Load Share, the latest U-Haul sustainability program, has earned multiple awards for its ecofriendly solution in today’s gig economy.
About U-HAUL
Founded in 1945, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers with more than 24,000 rental locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The U-Haul app makes it easy for customers to use U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 to access trucks anytime through the self-dispatch and -return options on their smartphones with our patented Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 203,000 trucks, 137,400 trailers and 41,700 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America and offers 1,111,000 rentable storage units and 96.5 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the top retailer of propane in the U.S. and the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. Get the U-Haul app from the App Store or Google Play.
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E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-263-6194
Website: uhaul.com
