<P> The Rust Belt is a region of the United States , made up mostly of places in the Midwest and Great Lakes , though the term may be used to include any location where industry declined starting around 1980 . Rust refers to the deindustrialization , or economic decline , population loss , and urban decay due to the shrinking of its once - powerful industrial sector . The term gained popularity in the U.S. in the 1980s . </P>
<P> The Rust Belt is a region of the United States , made up mostly of places in the Midwest and Great Lakes , though the term may be used to include any location where industry declined starting around 1980 . Rust refers to the deindustrialization , or economic decline , population loss , and urban decay due to the shrinking of its once - powerful industrial sector . The term gained popularity in the U.S. in the 1980s . </P>
term given to the urban industrial midwest region
term given to the urban industrial midwest region
The Rust Belt
The Rust Belt