A new Redfin analysis shows that U.S. counties at high flood risk lost 63,357 more residents than they gained in 2025, nearly double the net outflow from the previous year, and the largest population increase in low-risk counties since 2018.
Flood-prone America is losing lives, and it’s happening at a faster pace.
High-flood-risk counties across the country lost 63,357 more residents than they gained in 2025, according to a Redfin analysis of U.S. Census Bureau domestic migration data released Tuesday. This is almost double the net outflow recorded the previous year.
Miami-Dade County lost a net outflow of 72,254 residents, the most of any flood-prone county and the largest ever for a county. Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located, came in second with 43,377 cases. Four Florida counties (Miami-Dade, Pinellas, Collier, and Monroe) were in the top 10 for runoff. Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish, Louisiana (where about 99% of homes face high flood risk, the highest share in the nation) also made the list.
Redfin cited rising insurance premiums, rising repair costs, difficulty obtaining flood coverage, rising homeowners association fees and rising broader housing costs as factors. Politics also factored in: Redfin officials noted that some pandemic-era immigrants to Florida are now leaving the state in defiance of the state’s political environment.
Darryl Fairweather | Redfin
“Climate risk is becoming a more important factor as Americans weigh the costs and benefits of living in a particular location,” Darryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist, said in the report.
In another Redfin survey conducted by Ipsos in May 2026 of nearly 1,000 U.S. residents planning to move within the next 12 months, 16 percent cited concerns about natural disasters or climate risks, making it the fourth-most common reason out of 29 choices.
Not all high-risk counties are shrinking. St. Johns County, Florida, just south of Jacksonville, had the largest net inflow of 12,549 people among flood-prone counties. Redfin noted that counties that are still attracting residents tend to be more affordable. The top 10 inflow counties all had median list prices of less than $500,000, while the top three outflow counties had median list prices of more than $1 million.
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