One third of all U.S. metro areas will see flat or negative economic growth this year, a steep increase from 2012, according to a study released Monday by IHS Global for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The study projects that 119 metro areas won't see an economic improvement this year, up from 73 last year.
The figure highlights the fact that the U.S. economy is still growing in fits and starts in the four years since the end of the Great Recession.
Of the 244 metro areas projected to see growth, 93 are forecast to grow by 1 percent or less.
The Chicago area's economy is expected to expand by 1.3 percent. But the two larger U.S. metro areas -- Los Angeles and New York -- are both projected to grow more than 2 percent.
The national economy is projected to expand by about 1.7 percent.
The Conference of Mayors is a non-partisan organization of cities with populations of more than 30,000.
sbomkamp@tribune.com | Twitter: @SamWillTravel
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