Coastal Flood Risks Across the U.S.

The report projects that by 2050, approximately 2.5 million people in 1.4 million homes across the contiguous U.S. will be at risk from severe coastal floods under the SSP2-4.5 pollution pathway. Florida, New York, and New Jersey face the highest risks in terms of population and housing, while Louisiana has the largest land area at risk. New York City is identified as the city with the highest number of people at risk. The analysis highlights that older adults and socially vulnerable populations are disproportionately exposed to these risks.

• Under the SSP2-4.5 pollution pathway, approximately 2.5 million people and 1.4 million homes in the contiguous U.S. are projected to be at risk from a severe coastal flood by 2050.
• Florida, New York, and New Jersey are the states with the highest number of people and homes at risk. Florida has the highest population at risk (505,000) and homes at risk (355,000), while New York follows with 445,000 people and 188,000 homes.
• Louisiana has the largest amount of land at risk from a severe coastal flood in 2050, totaling 9,200 square miles.
• New York City is the most affected city by population, with an estimated 271,000 people living in areas at risk of a severe flood in 2050.
• Older adults (aged 65 and older) are disproportionately exposed to flood risk, representing 22% (540,000 people) of the at-risk population despite making up only 16% of the total population in coastal states.
• A significant portion of the at-risk population is socially vulnerable; 1.845 million people have at least one component of risk, and 617,000 people have three or more components of risk.

APA

Climate Central (2025). Coastal Flood Risks Across the U.S. https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/1MbLA4rrFhhrlE8WLUG6JG/2e41d8695ee76f6a2a600adb312a1e86/FINAL__Exposure_Analysis_Report.docx.pdf

Chicago

Climate Central. Coastal Flood Risks Across the U.S. 2025. https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/1MbLA4rrFhhrlE8WLUG6JG/2e41d8695ee76f6a2a600adb312a1e86/FINAL__Exposure_Analysis_Report.docx.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Coastal Flood Risks Across the U.S. |date=2 April 2025 |url=https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/1MbLA4rrFhhrlE8WLUG6JG/2e41d8695ee76f6a2a600adb312a1e86/FINAL__Exposure_Analysis_Report.docx.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2025coastal, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Coastal Flood Risks Across the U.S.}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/1MbLA4rrFhhrlE8WLUG6JG/2e41d8695ee76f6a2a600adb312a1e86/FINAL__Exposure_Analysis_Report.docx.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }