Rust Belt

The rusting steel stacks of Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, one of the largest steel manufacturers for most of the 20th century until it abruptly discontinued most of its manufacturing in 1982, declared bankruptcy in 2001 and dissolved in 2003 The Rust Belt, formerly the Steel Belt or Factory Belt, is an area of the United States that underwent substantial industrial decline in the late 20th century. The region is centered in the Great Lakes and Mid Atlantic regions of the United States. Common definitions of the Rust Belt include northern Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, upstate New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and southeastern Wisconsin. Some broader geographic definitions of the region include parts of central Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, and West Virginia. The term "Rust Belt" is considered to be a pejorative by some people in the region.

Between the late 19th century and late 20th century, the Rust Belt formed the industrial heartland of the United States, and its economies were largely based on iron and steel, automobile manufacturing, coal mining, and the processing of raw materials. The term "Rust Belt", derived from the substance rust, refers to the socially corrosive effects of economic decline, population loss, and urban decay attributable to deindustrialization. The term gained popularity in the U.S. beginning in the 1980s, when it was commonly contrasted with the Sun Belt, whose economy was then thriving.