Sunbelt

American  

[suhn-belt] / ˈsʌnˌbɛlt /

Or Sun Belt

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

1. the southern and southwestern region of the U.S.

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Sunbelt British  

/ ˈsʌnˌbɛlt /

noun

1. the southern states of the USA

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Sunbelt Cultural  

1. States in the South and Southwest marked by warm climate, rapid economic and population growth in the last two decades, and (often) political conservatism.

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Etymology

Origin of Sunbelt

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Case-Shiller’s data show that price gains are strongest in the Northeast and Midwest, “while much of the Sunbelt and Western regions are still seeing declines,” he wrote.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

Plus, Kodiak holds No. 1 or No. 2 positions in many of its local markets, including higher-growth areas like the Sunbelt and Mountain states.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

The boost from high ownership costs is fading, while new supply continues to come online, especially in Class A Sunbelt assets.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

If you live anywhere outside the Sunbelt, you may never have heard of this movement, though it is one of the fastest-growing school reforms in the country.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

BellSouth was headquartered in Atlanta, ambitious metropolis of the new high-tech Sunbelt; and BellSouth was upgrading its network by leaps and bounds, digitizing the works left right and center.

From The Hacker Crackdown, law and disorder on the electronic frontier by Sterling, Bruce