AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT RISK: Threats from Coastal Floods and Sea Level Rise

The document reports that Florida's affordable housing stock is the 5th most vulnerable in the United States to future coastal flooding. By 2050, 963 units (0.8% of the state's stock) are projected to face at least annual threats, representing a 774% increase from 2000. Specific high-risk areas include Miami Beach, Marathon, and Ft. Lauderdale, with Miami Beach ranked 11th nationwide for units at risk. The analysis notes that affordable housing is particularly vulnerable because it is often older, of poorer quality, and lacks resilience features like flood-proofing.

• Florida's affordable housing stock is ranked as the 5th most vulnerable in the United States regarding units at risk of future coastal flooding.
• Under a high-carbon emissions scenario, 963 affordable housing units in Florida (0.8% of the state's stock) are projected to face at least annual threats from coastal flooding by 2050, which is a 774% increase over 2000 levels.
• Miami Beach is ranked 11th among the top 20 U.S. cities for affordable housing units at risk. By 2050, 317 units in Miami Beach are expected to be at risk per year (a 1074% increase), and 169 units could experience four or more flood-risk events annually.
• Affordable housing is more susceptible to flooding than other housing types because it is typically older, of lower quality, and lacks resilience-enhancing features such as flood-proofing, backflow prevention valves, and off-grid energy.
• Nationally, there is a shortfall of over 7 million affordable rental units, with only 35 units available for every 100 extremely low-income renters across the 50 largest metropolitan areas.

APA

Climate Central (2021). AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT RISK: Threats from Coastal Floods and Sea Level Rise. https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/5LwO184sMmaC6RmxP1zziH/1dc75d5339986e6cde16bba7f92e52d6/AH_State_Factsheet_FL.pdf

Chicago

Climate Central. AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT RISK: Threats from Coastal Floods and Sea Level Rise. 2021. https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/5LwO184sMmaC6RmxP1zziH/1dc75d5339986e6cde16bba7f92e52d6/AH_State_Factsheet_FL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT RISK: Threats from Coastal Floods and Sea Level Rise |date=2021 |url=https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/5LwO184sMmaC6RmxP1zziH/1dc75d5339986e6cde16bba7f92e52d6/AH_State_Factsheet_FL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2021affordable, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT RISK: Threats from Coastal Floods and Sea Level Rise}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2021}, url = {https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/5LwO184sMmaC6RmxP1zziH/1dc75d5339986e6cde16bba7f92e52d6/AH_State_Factsheet_FL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }