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

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

A string of cities across America’s Sunbelt are emerging as graduate-hiring hot spots in an otherwise challenging job market for young professionals, an exclusive analysis shows.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

Sunbelt cities have been a particular target for institutional homeownership.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

Say you’re on track to move to a resort community in a Sunbelt state with low taxes.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 26, 2025

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