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

Berkshire is paying about 1.1 times book value and nine times trailing earnings per share—both low valuations for a well-run Sunbelt home builder.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

A string of cities across the Sunbelt are emerging as graduate-hiring hot spots in an otherwise challenging job market for young professionals, according to a new ADP study.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 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 Sunbelt would boom, the Northeast would shrink?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 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