A solid economic indicator that developers have come to depend on and trust is the number of furniture and possession moves in and out of a state each year.

According to the latest numbers from U-Haul officials released this month, Michigan finished 40th in terms of growth this past year.

People coming into the state utilizing one-way U-Haul trucks increased 8% from 2019 numbers. Departures increased 5%.

As a means of comparison, Michigan finished 48th in 2019, so the state rose eight spots in the final numbers.

Northeast Michigan did not factor in to any noticeable increase in the number of moves into the region. Most of Michigan’s growth, according to the U-Haul statistics, occurred on the west side of the state, like Traverse City, or around large metropolitan areas.

Tennessee finished number one as a destination area in 2020, followed by Texas, Florida, Ohio, and Arizona.

Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, and Georgia finished out the top 10.

Several years ago, Michigan kept sliding in these statistics, having more outbound traffic than inbound numbers.

It’s nice to see that pattern interrupted, and the numbers reversed.

In a year that had little to celebrate, here is one bright spot worth noting.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)