rust belt

American  

noun

(sometimes initial capital letters)

1. the heavily industrial area of the northeastern U.S. containing the older industries and factories.

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rust belt British  

noun

1. an area where heavy industry is in decline, esp in the Midwest of the US

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Etymology

Origin of rust belt

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

If you want to peer into a post-steel future, look at Redcar on the northeast coast - an area sometimes described as Britain's "rust belt", owing to the derelict industrial sites scattered across the landscape.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025

Income per capita in Heilongjiang, now known as one of China's three "rust belt" provinces, was 50,900 yuan in 2022, below the national figure of 85,700 yuan.

From Reuters • Feb. 28, 2023

By definition, President Biden's initiatives to help rust belt and rural America are "newsworthy."

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2023

He later rose to be deputy Shanghai party secretary and then party secretary of the northeastern rust belt province of Liaoning.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 22, 2022

The tower was in the way of an economic development project, and last month controlled explosions reduced to it a few crumpled remains on a landscape littered with relics of rust belt Britain.

From New York Times • Oct. 2, 2021