The places that pop into mind are Lexmark, Big Ass Fans, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and Johnson Controls. There are lots of smallish places doing factor

The places that pop into mind are Lexmark, Big Ass Fans, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and Johnson Controls. There are lots of smallish places doing factory automation, particularly near the Toyota factory. Salary seldom keeps up with real estate costs. The real estate cost difference can be a factor of 10, but you won't see that difference for salary. Lots of low-cost areas will specialize in an industry. You shouldn't expect to pick a random low-cost area and find the industry you want, but the industry you want is probably in at least one low-cost area. Find that area, move there, and do well in life.