Over the past several years, the United States has experienced a significant decline in homicide rates. Analyses of this decline had focused on homicide trends in large cities and metropolitan areas. Yet, smaller cities have not seen a comparable decline in homicide rates. This study examined the social ecology of homicide among 85 small and mid-sized U.S. cities, particularly in the “Rustbelt” region (Northeast and Midwest) of the U.S. The study focused on the general effects of deindustrialization on homicide rates in the 1980's and 1990's. Findings generally supported theoretical propositions concerning the relationships between deindustrialization, economic distress, and homicide rates in that these cities tended to experience not only more economic distress between 1980 and 1995 than other areas of the country or the Nation as a whole but also higher homicide rates. The cities in the study had relatively high unemployment rates and experienced gross population declines over the entire study. The study suggested additional research to fully test the present model among a wide range of cities affected by deindustrialization. Appendices and references