Rust Belt
Declining factory region
The Rust Belt is a region of the northeastern and midwestern United States—including parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois—where steel production and manufacturing once thrived but have since declined.
The name captures both the literal rust of abandoned factories and the economic decay left behind.
The region figures prominently in American political discourse, especially regarding working-class voters and industrial policy.
Politicians campaign hard in the Rust Belt. (Lowercase rust belt describes any such region generically.)
Five connected inland seas
- MidwestNorth-central American region
- ClevelandNortheast Ohio metropolis
- DetroitMichigan automotive hub
- PittsburghWestern Pennsylvania industrial city
Buffalo · Youngstown · Gary · Akron · Toledo · Canton · Erie · South Bend
Loss of industrial capacity
- job lossInvoluntary departure from work
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- urban decayCity infrastructure deterioration
- blightPlant disease causing decay
abandonment · disinvestment · depopulation · vacancy · economic downturn · shuttered · foreclosure · poverty
Carbon-hardened iron alloy
- factoryIndustrial production facility
- manufacturingIndustrial product creation
- automotiveRelating to motor vehicles
- assembly lineSequential workstation manufacturing
mill · foundry · plant · forge · machinery · production · fabrication · tooling
Joining into one
- blue-collarManual labor workforce
- welderOne who fuses metals
- machinistMetal parts fabricator
- steelworkerFactory metal producer
autoworker · shift work · overtime · layoff · strike · picket line · collective bargaining · pension
Rebuilding an existing area
- gentrificationWealthy influx displacing locals
- adaptive reuseRetrofitting buildings for new functions
- tech hubRegion dense with startups
- startupNew business enterprise
renaissance · urban renewal · repurposing · comeback · reinvention · arts district · brewery
Great Lakes
Five connected inland seas
- MidwestNorth-central American region
- ClevelandNortheast Ohio metropolis
- DetroitMichigan automotive hub
Pittsburgh · Buffalo · Youngstown · Gary · Akron · Toledo · Canton · Erie · South Bend · Bethlehem
deindustrialization
Loss of industrial capacity
- job lossInvoluntary departure from work
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- urban decayCity infrastructure deterioration
blight · abandonment · disinvestment · depopulation · vacancy · economic downturn · shuttered · foreclosure · poverty · brain drain
steel
Carbon-hardened iron alloy
- factoryIndustrial production facility
- manufacturingIndustrial product creation
- automotiveRelating to motor vehicles
assembly line · mill · foundry · plant · forge · machinery · production · fabrication · tooling · iron
union
Joining into one
- blue-collarManual labor workforce
- welderOne who fuses metals
- machinistMetal parts fabricator
steelworker · autoworker · shift work · overtime · layoff · strike · picket line · collective bargaining · pension · shop floor
redevelopment
Rebuilding an existing area
- gentrificationWealthy influx displacing locals
- adaptive reuseRetrofitting buildings for new functions
- tech hubRegion dense with startups
startup · renaissance · urban renewal · repurposing · comeback · reinvention · arts district · brewery
- American RegionsMidwest, Southwest, Northwest, Deep South, Pacific Northwest
- Americanismsaluminum, fixin' to, apartment, howdy, candy
- MidwestIndiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota
- North American regionsstates, provinces, territories, regions, northeast
- Industrial Americasteel town, mill town, assembly plant, foundry, smokestacks
- Industrial CitiesDetroit, Pittsburgh, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham
Rust BeltSilicon Valley
Bay Area tech corridor
Sun Belt · boomtown · Boomtown · Austin · Wall Street
Rust BeltSun Belt
Warm U.S. southern tier
Florida · Arizona · Texas · Gold Coast · Southwest