U-Haul announced on Wednesday that Surprise and Queen Creek ranked in the moving company’s top 25 growing cities in the United States for 2023.

The U-Haul Growth Index conducted its annual gain or loss assessment of more than 2.5 million trucks and trailers that have moved Americans across the nation in 2023.

Arizona ranked the 8th overall state for U-Haul in 2023 using the same metrics, according to a Tuesday news release.

The West Valley city of Surprise dropped 10 places from its 2022 ranking to take the No. 18 spot on the U-Haul Growth Index, while Queen Creek made its first-ever appearance at No. 23.

One-way arrivals in 2023 for Surprise rose to 2% while departures rose 3%, alongside Queen Creek arrivals that rose 2% and departures by 4%.

While Surprise lost rank in 2023, it maintained a consistent place in the Growth Index’s top 25 since 2020.

“The urban sprawl in the Phoenix area has caused people to move further away from the city center,” said Jesse Ashdown, president of northwest Phoenix U-Haul Company.

52.4% of all Surprise U-Haul activity was incoming arrivals as opposed to 47.5% being departures.

“Places like Surprise are more affordable, yet close enough to the action, and have their own great amenities. Surprise is a very family friendly community, and it’s also attractive to retirees,” added Ashdown.

Newcomer to the list, Queen Creek represented one of the Valley’s fast-growing towns on the U-Haul’s index.

“The East Valley has been a hotspot for growth for the last few years,” noted Sandra Gutierrez, East Valley president of U-Haul Company.

Gutierrez noted that Queen Creek’s population doubling in only eight years is one of the reasons it made the company’s index.

Queen Creek and Surprise had nearly identical splits of U-Haul arrivals and departures to the town.

“I think part of this growth is because of the value you get from buying a home in Queen Creek. The property taxes are low, and you can buy a three-bedroom home for half the price of the same home in Phoenix,” added Gutierrez.

Florida topped U-Haul’s index with 7 of the top 10 cities in the state, No. 1 being Palm Bay-Melbourne, Florida.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: U-Haul says these AZ cities are among the fastest growing