For clues about how America’s future is shaping up, look to its metro areas: They’re where 85% of the U.S. population lives, and where the bulk of the country’s economic and cultural activity unfurls.
But the picture they’re painting right now about where the country’s headed is pretty grim. In the second-annual analysis of how the 100 most populous U.S. cities and metro areas are faring in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations in 2015, the majority are lagging far behind.
