Industrial rents grew fastest among a host of familiar metros last month – but a crop of niche markets is also seeing demand tick up as companies reconsider reshoring and nearshoring manufacturing.  

According to CommercialEdge,  average in-place rents grew 7.4% year-over-year in the Inland Empire, 6.8% in Los Angeles and 6.5% in Orange County. But "cross-border trade activity in North America could lead to increased demand for industrial space in rail and truck port markets such as Detroit, San Diego and Southern Texas," the firm notes in a July analysis of sector data.

And Motor City appears to be one to watch. This city is seeing increased demand as cross-border shipping picks up between the U.S. and Canada. Nearby Port Huron is also one of the nation's busiest rail and truck entry points. The city has an industrial vacancy rate of 7.2%, and a new lease costs just 23 cents more than the market average.