By Johnson Storage & Moving
- 95% of Johnson's household moves in 2026 were booked directly by the person or family moving — employer-paid relocation is a small share of the total.
- Move volume climbs steadily from February on, nearly quadrupling by July — confirming summer as the dominant moving season.
- Colorado's volume is no longer concentrated in Denver alone: Colorado Springs, Boulder/Longmont, and Fort Collins together account for nearly as many moves as the metro itself.
- Johnson's core markets — Colorado, New Mexico, Missouri, Kansas, and Wyoming — send far more customers out than they bring in, while states like North Carolina, Arizona, and Texas are net destinations.
CENTENNIAL, CO
Johnson Storage & Moving released its first annual Local Movers Report, drawn from the company's own completed household goods move records across 33 states in 2026. The report points to a moving population still driven overwhelmingly by personal decisions, a moving season concentrated tightly in the summer months, and a Colorado footprint that increasingly extends well past the Denver metro.
Of the household moves Johnson completed this year, 95% were booked directly by the individual or family moving, not by an employer relocation desk. That mirrors a broader pattern in the moving industry: most household moves remain personally motivated, whether by a new home, a job change, or a life event.
Summer Still Rules the Calendar
Johnson's household move volume builds steadily from late winter into summer, climbing from 126 completed moves in February to 383 in July, the year's peak by a wide margin, and roughly triple February's pace. The pattern is consistent with the moving industry's well-established summer peak, driven by school calendars, lease cycles, and warmer weather for transport. For anyone with flexibility on timing, late winter offers a meaningfully quieter, and likely more available, window to book.
Where Johnson Moved in 2026
Colorado accounted for the largest share of completed household moves, but the state's volume is not concentrated in a single city. Denver led with 179 moves, but Colorado Springs (81), Boulder/Longmont (49), and Fort Collins (43) combined for 173, nearly matching Denver on their own. Outside Colorado, Johnson's reach extended into New Mexico, Texas, California, and a long tail of markets stretching to 33 states in total.
| Market | Completed moves | Booked directly |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 858 | 96% |
| California | 160 | 94% |
| Texas | 117 | 90% |
| New Mexico | 113 | 97% |
| Missouri | 85 | 95% |
| Florida | 70 | 87% |
| Kansas | 51 | 92% |
| Wyoming | 36 | 100% |
Where They're Headed
Comparing where household moves start against where they end reveals a business built mostly on getting people out of its home markets, not into them. Colorado is the starkest example: of 858 Colorado-origin moves, only 378 ended in the state, and 312 of those never left it. Strip out the in-state moves, and Colorado sends people out roughly 8 to 1 over bringing them in. New Mexico, Missouri, Kansas, and Wyoming, Johnson's other core markets, show the same lopsided pattern. On the other side, states like North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Florida, and Illinois are net destinations: places Johnson serves mostly by sending people there, not by picking up business locally.
| Sending the most, relative to what they receive | Receiving the most, relative to what they send |
|---|---|
| 1. Colorado | 1. North Carolina |
| 2. New Mexico | 2. Arizona |
| 3. Missouri | 3. Texas |
| 4. Kansas | 4. Florida |
| 5. Wyoming | 5. Illinois |
Who's Behind the Wheel
Most of Johnson's long-distance household moves this year traveled under United Van Lines, the company's primary national affiliate. A smaller share moved under Mayflower, and a small remainder stayed entirely local, handled without a national carrier.
- United Van Lines — 1,291 moves, 83% of the total
- Mayflower — 199 moves, 13% of the total
- Local, in-house — 60 moves, 4% of the total
Methodology
This report is based on Johnson Storage & Moving's own completed household goods move records for calendar year 2026, across all Johnson-brand markets. Commercial relocations are excluded. It is not a survey or a projection; every figure reflects a move the company actually completed. Johnson plans to publish this report annually each January with the prior full year's final figures.
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