It's entirely possible that no new housing has been built in those areas for decades... and yeah, labor's cheap, but if there's no work in the area, that $10,00

It's entirely possible that no new housing has been built in those areas for decades... and yeah, labor's cheap, but if there's no work in the area, that $10,000 roof is going to cost a lot less. Possibly relevant experience: my daughter attended college in a very small town in rural Tennessee. We were there to drop her off, and overheard a painter talking to the owner of the hotel about doing painting some of the hotel. The painter told the owner the price, and then offered a discount before the owner could reply.