Houses can be cheaper in Rust Belt areas, but often for a reason. Sometimes that reason is that over the last ~20 years, people have been working hard to escape

Houses can be cheaper in Rust Belt areas, but often for a reason. Sometimes that reason is that over the last ~20 years, people have been working hard to escape those areas due to stagnant or failing economies. One of your listings, for Ladysmith, Wisconsin in particular, has been dropping in population by roughly 10% each decade since 2000. Same goes for the house in Nebraska, the town it's in has been dropping in population at about the same rate since 1980. It might work out if you can do remote work for the rest of you career, but some of those listings, like a different one from Michigan, are for homes in towns with about only 1,700 people total in a 160 sq. mile area and with a per capita income of about $18,000 a year. Your options for work dwindle really fast if you lose your job after moving there.