Data: Michigan gets an ‘A’ for reducing travel

Empty roads leading into Detroit are shown Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told Michigan residents to stay at home beginning Tuesday, in her most sweeping order of the coronavirus crisis. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Posted: Mar 25, 2020 / 12:31 PM EDT

Updated: Mar 25, 2020 / 12:48 PM EDT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, Michiganders get an A for doing their part to try to flatten the curve, new data released by Unacast shows.

The company used advanced GPS tracking in cellphones to measure the amount of travel around the country before and after the outbreak. Since March 11, the day after Michigan officials announced the state’s first case of coronavirus, Michiganders have reduced their travel by approximately 45%.

Nationwide, Americans have cut their travel by 39%, enough to earn a B grade.

In West Michigan, Barry and Kent counties each received A grades for cutting travel by more than 45%. Kalamazoo County and Ingham County, home to the state capital Lansing, also got As for cutting travel by more than 50%. People in Luce County in the northeastern Upper Peninsula cut their travel the most: 79%.

You can check out the map on Unacast’s website and click through to see how other states fared.