Upcoming census data is sure to show that Surprise is one of the top-growing cities in America. But trucking giant U-Haul beat the U.S. Census Bureau to the punch.

The company has ranked Surprise as the No. 8 growth city in the country.

According to U-Haul data analyzing migration patterns from 2020, people traveling to Surprise in one-way U-Haul trucks increased by more than 8% during the past year, while departures remained the same as 2019.

The figures show arrivals accounted for 53.8% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Surprise during 2020 to make it the No. 8 city for netting do-it-yourself movers.

The city has made previous appearances on the U-Haul growth list but last year it wasn’t even among the top 25 growth markets nationally.

Florida’s North Port, Kissimmee and Port St. Lucie comprise the top three growth cities, followed by Alabama’s Auburn/Opelika market and Wisconsin’s capital of Madison.

Thirteen of the 25 top growth markets are in the Southeast, including six of the top seven. Florida lands five cities on the list, while Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin boast two apiece.

Arizona came in fifth in the state rankings, behind Tennessee, Texas, Florida and Ohio.

U-Haul calculates its growth cities by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks — which include moving vans ranging in size from 10 to 26 feet — arriving in a city versus departing from that city in a calendar year. 

Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck-sharing transactions that occur annually in the U.S. and Canada.

While U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the company’s growth data is an effective gauge of how well cities are attracting and maintaining residents.

Uhaul.com has the complete 2020 rankings.