It's probably a combination. Truckers often live in small towns because it's cheap and has a culture they like. Multigenerational rural families often have plen

It's probably a combination. Truckers often live in small towns because it's cheap and has a culture they like. Multigenerational rural families often have plenty of farmland and a large positive net worth. There's still some manufacturing jobs in many of these areas, though most places are still continuing to decay due to outsourcing and globalization. edit: I'm shocked I'm getting downvoted for this. For those unaware, globalization and outsourcing has undeniably had a massive, negative impact on the midwest: http://chicagopolicyreview.org/2012/04/09/the-global-midwest-richard-longworth/ http://chicagopolicyreview.org/2012/04/09/the-global-midwest...