More than 40% of all supply chain professionals live and work in the Midwest, according to the 2014 MH&L Supply Chain Salary Survey, and early returns from the 2015 survey indicate this number is holding steady. It's an open question, though, how long the Midwest (aka the Rust Belt) will hold its grip on material handling and logistics people, given the national trend to follow the sun.
Of the top 10 most popular metropolitan areas for people to relocate to, only one (Chicago) is in the Midwest, while seven of them are in the Southeast or Southwest, according to Penske's ranking of the top 10 moving destinations. Interestingly, no California city made the list, which makes one wonder if it's at all due to the state's reputation as the most heavily regulated state in the country. (Penske did not publicize which are the top cities that people are leaving.)
Atlanta finished at the top of the list, as it has been for the past five years. Tampa/Sarasota and Dallas/Fort Worth are numbers 2 and 3, holding steady with the same position they were in last year's survey. As the Midwest's lone representative, Chicago slipped from #8 in 2013 to #9 in 20114.
The list was compiled through online consumer truck rental reservations and through Penske Truck Rental call centers, based on one-way moves in 2014.