The Rust Belt is a region of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States that has been experiencing industrial decline starting around 1980. Rust refers to the deindustrialization, economic decline, population loss, and urban decay due to the shrinking of its once-powerful industrial sector, such as steel production, automobile manufacturing, and coal mining.
Since the mid-20th century, heavy industry has declined in the region, formerly known as the industrial heartland of America.
Causes include transfer of manufacturing jobs overseas, increased automation, and the decline of the US steel and coal industries.[4] Some cities, towns, and communities, such as New Jersey and the New York Metropolitan Area, have been able to adapt by diversifying or transforming their economies to shift focus towards services, advanced manufacturing, and high-tech industries. Others have not fared as well, experiencing economic distress with poverty and the resulting decline in population.[5]
