America's bridges, roads, and dams are in bad shape. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the US needs $3.6 trillion in infrastructure investment by the end of the decade, and the highest score they gave on their most recent infrastructure report card was a B+. Ten of the sixteen categories received a grade of D or D-.
Despite the bad state of our infrastructure, public spending on construction has been down since the financial crisis.
America continues to struggle on international tests of high school student achievement. American 15 year olds had the 17th highest average reading scores among the 34 OECD nations in the 2012 PISA international examination.
Education costs are also rising, with the real average cost of a year of college, including tuition, fees, room, and board, more than doubling since the 1970s. That rising cost of college pushes the American Dream out of reach for many.
Because of a combination of an aging population and residual effects from the financial crisis and Great Recession, a smaller percentage of Americans are working or looking for work than at any time since 1977.
The United States has become more unequal over time. The Gini Index, a commonly used measure of income inequality among households, has steadily risen since the late 1960s.
For more on the Gini Index, click here.