What's working in local economies

In a story titled See which Michigan regions are growing the fastest, Ted Roelofs and Mike Wilkinson report for Bridge magazine that nine of 15 regions in Michigan posted growth higher than 2 percent GDP gain in 2013, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Excerpt: Overall, the state’s numbers are a grab bag of the promising and the troubling. For example, statewide GDP grew by 2 percent in 2013. On the bright side, that’s above the five-state Midwest average of 1.6 percent, trailing only Indiana at 2.1 percent. To the negative, Michigan's GDP is still 6 percent below its output in its peak year of 2005. That's primarily because the state remains tethered to manufacturing, still its largest economic sector despite a considerable drop in the last 15 years.

The story says Niles-Benton Harbor ranked second in growth among 14 metropolitan regions in Michigan, Kalamazoo ranked 7th, and Battle Creek came in 10th.

Follow the links to find out what's behind the rankings.  See the full story here.