New migration data from the Census bureau show that migration increased in 2008-2009 but the rise was almost entirely due to intracounty moves — a reflection of foreclosures and the poor job market last year.

The mover rate, which is the percentage of people who report a move, increased to 12.5% last year from 11.9% in 2008 (that was the lowest mover rate since at least 1945, when the Census started keeping track of the data).

That would seem to be a positive increase since jobs are one of the biggest reasons people move, but a look below the numbers shows that’s not the case. The mover rate within counties increased to 8.4% last year, the highest since 2003. But the mover rate across county lines and between states is still mired in levels unseen since at least the 40s, and probably since the Great Depression, according to an analysis of Census data by William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution.

Simply put: The data are showing that millions of people who have lost their homes are moving nearby to rent, but that jobs were still scarce enough that few people made the state-to-state move.

“Since labor migration is the often seen as the grease that spurs the flow of goods, capital and job creation, these new numbers are not encouraging,” says Mr. Frey.

Of course, given the marked improvement in the job market through 2010, it’s likely that the state-to-state migration rate will show an increase through 2010.

Moving has long been seen as a sign of economic health. Today’s data show that, given the historic distortions to the housing market, in this recovery it is just as important to look at where people are going.