Last week, we broke down what U-Haul's migration data showed for people leaving Tampa.
One Polk metro kept showing up near the top of the list, across three different generations.
This week, we ran the same numbers for Orlando.
U-Haul's 2026 Midyear Migration Trends report tracks every one-way truck, trailer, and U-Box rental in the country over a 52-week span, from July 2025 through June 2026.
It sorts moves by generation.
Baby Boomers. Gen X. Millennials. Gen Z.
Then it ranks destinations by net gain for each group, city by city.
Ask anyone why people move to Polk County and you'll hear the same answer.
Retirees. Snowbirds.
People chasing a lower cost of living after they clock out for good.
The Orlando data tells a different story.
Baby Boomers leaving Orlando.
Lakeland-Winter Haven ranks #3. Behind Atlanta and Gainesville-Ocala.
Gen X leaving Orlando.
Lakeland-Winter Haven ranks #4. Behind Miami, Atlanta, and Daytona Beach.
Millennials leaving Orlando.
Lakeland-Winter Haven is the #1 net-gain destination in the country. Ahead of Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Dallas, and Atlanta.
Gen Z leaving Orlando.
Lakeland-Winter Haven ranks #3. Behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater.
Every generation leaving Orlando put Polk in their top five.
Only one put it at the top, and it wasn't the generation most people would guess.
That flips the pattern from Tampa's numbers, where Baby Boomers ranked Polk #1 and Gen X ranked it #2.
Two different metros. Two different generations leading the way in.
Same destination both times.
That's not a coincidence.
This is one more data point in a trend Polk County residents already feel every day: more moving trucks on the road, more new neighbors, more growth headed this way.
Sources: U-Haul Migration Trends, 2026 Midyear Report (uhaul.com/About/Migration)
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