A small Rust Belt town plays a significant role in American Rust, but the show itself was all filmed in a bigger city. The crime drama series, created by Dan Futterman, is based on Philipp Meyer’s 2009 novel of the same name, which revolves around the decline of the American middle class (and the American Dream) in the early 2000s in a rural town in Pennsylvania. Whereas American Rust undoubtedly shines a light on economic and social problems that several people went through in the late 20th and early 21st century, the show also pulls viewers in with a mystery.
https://screenrant.com/american-rust-setting-filming-locations-buell-explained/