Michigan a Bellwether for the US

DETROIT—Few US states or cities or have had more economic trouble of late than Michigan or Detroit. Both struggled with years of elevated unemployment, and Detroit has suffered a generation of progressive abandonment and a recent bankruptcy. However, the revival of the American auto industry, among other factors, has helped spark a more general resurgence across the state, and with many Michigan corporations re-discovering the benefits of a downtown location, even Detroit has started to show signs of life.

According to JLL, for example, employers in the metro area added 14,500 net jobs over the 12 months ending in December 2013. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate decreased 2.2% over the same time period to 8.0%, higher than the national average of 6.7%, but less than half the rate recorded in July of 2009 when it spiked at 16.9%.