Yeah there are hardly any walkable cities in America. NYC and SF are the two that come to mind. Otherwise, you need a car. Forget about suburban and rural areas.

There's a reason why getting your driver's license is always a rite of passage for shows with teenagers. Honestly, to this day I'm really surprised to meet an adult in the US who doesn't have their license.

Some cities are densifying but yeah, it's one of my biggest pet peeves with the US as well. I went to Tokyo and it was such a culture shock basically walking and taking public transportation everywhere.

(FWIW, I have a friend in Tokyo who is really jealous of the ability to drive everywhere in America since it's so convenient. It's a "grass is always greener" thing.)