• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers

2

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?

3

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

1

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers

2

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?

3

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
FinanceReal Estate

$22 trillion worth of the housing market—or 44% of all homes in the U.S.—is at risk of severe or extreme damage from environmental threats

By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 13, 2024, 12:56 PM ET
A home destroyed by strong storms in Claremont, North Carolina in January.
A home destroyed by strong storms in Claremont, North Carolina in January. Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Climate risk is a $22 trillion problem for the housing market—and it’s only set to keep growing. Almost 44.8% of homes across the country, worth nearly $22 trillion, are staring down “at least one type of severe or extreme climate risk,” according to a newly released Realtor.com report which considered flood, wind, wildfire, heat, and air quality issues. That represents nearly $22 trillion of housing wealth, concluded the authors, economist Jiayi Xu, economic data manager Sabrina Speianu, and chief economist Danielle Hale.

Recommended Video

More so, 40.4% of homes, worth $19.7 trillion, are at severe or extreme risk when it comes to heat, wind, and air quality. “Climate risk is a big deal,” Xu said in a separate release. “It can impact home values, insurance costs, and the overall stability of a housing market.”

And in some cases, “in areas with high climate risk and lower home prices, people are tolerating these risks in exchange for more affordable housing,” Xu said.

The share of homes threatened by flood and wildfire risk is smaller than any other weather or environment-related risk. Heat risk is the big one, affecting the largest percentage of homes across the country, roughly 32.5%, valued at nearly $13.6 trillion, holding a severe or extreme risk of heat exposure. Miami has the highest value of homes at “severe or extreme risk,” but 17 other metropolitan areas are also at risk. That includes areas in Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana and Virginia, according to the report. 

Then there’s wind, or hurricane risk, which affects around 18.1% of homes worth almost $7.7 trillion. And yet again, Miami faces the most substantial risk, in terms of its total value of homes. The states threatened by hurricane risk are similar to those threatened by the heat, aside from Virginia. 

Air quality risk, which doesn’t seem to be discussed much as a threat to homes, can actually impact 9% of homes in the nation (so almost $6.6 trillion). “San Francisco holds the highest total value of homes at severe or extreme air quality risk, whereas four metros from California and Washington are all at severe or extreme air quality risk,” the report reads. 

Flood risk comes next, with about 6.6% of homes facing severe or extreme risk of flooding and flood damage. Those homes are worth almost $3.4 trillion, and they’re largely concentrated in Miami, given the city has the “highest total value of homes at severe or extreme risk of floods.” That being said, New Orleans comes up top in terms of the share of property value at risk. 

And of course, there’s wildfire risk, which we all know is largely a California problem. Roughly 5.5% of homes, worth $3 trillion, are at severe or extreme risk of fire damage; almost 39.1% of “high-risk” homes are in California; those are worth $1.7 trillion. And the highest total value of homes threatened are in Los Angeles. 

Putting to one side the more serious and dire consequences, such as the destruction of homes and peoples’ lives, “the issues are whether you can get access to affordable insurance and how much the costs will increase,” Xu said. 

Fortune has previously reported that uninsurable properties are a serious factor further elevating an already seriously unaffordable housing market marked by high home prices and high mortgage rates. Last year, extreme weather cost the country at least $23 billion (there were 23 major weather events that caused at least $1 billion in damage). And “the severity and frequency of major weather events, unfortunately, is likely to go up,” a CoreLogic executive previously told Fortune. California and Florida homeowners have already felt the pain. The former saw property insurers cap the number of policies they write or refuse to write new policies; the latter saw multiple insurers simply flee. 

February was also the second month that inflation was “sticky,” refusing to come down further to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, which indirectly means that mortgage rates will be higher for longer. Just last week, Fed chair Jerome Powell testified to Congress that soaring insurance costs are one of the key reasons that inflation is just, well, sticking around. “Insurance of various different kinds—housing insurance, but also automobile insurance, and things like that—that’s been a significant source of inflation over the last few years,” he said. More specifically, with a focus on housing, Powell said: “In the longer term, companies are withdrawing from writing insurance in some coastal areas…It’s a significant issue.”

About the Author
By Alena BotrosFormer staff writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Alena Botros is a former reporter at Fortune, where she primarily covered real estate.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Finance

Sun Life launches global private wealth platform targeting Asia’s booming HNWI market
AsiaInsurance
Sun Life launches global private wealth platform targeting Asia’s booming HNWI market
By Angelica AngJuly 28, 2026
2 hours ago
President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China on May 14, 2026.
EconomyChina
China’s exports are so huge they’re now lowering inflation in other countries
By Eleanor PringleJuly 28, 2026
2 hours ago
Record heat gives way to winter gas fears in Europe, Asia as Iran war rages on
EnergyIran
Record heat gives way to winter gas fears in Europe, Asia as Iran war rages on
By Jordan BlumJuly 28, 2026
2 hours ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for July 28, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for July 28, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJuly 28, 2026
2 hours ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for July 28, 2026
Personal Financemortgage rates
Current refi mortgage rates report for July 28, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJuly 28, 2026
2 hours ago
Mortgage rates today, July 28, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, July 28, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJuly 28, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
Retail
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
By Sarah GlodekJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
C-Suite
Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 27, 2026
17 hours ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
3 days ago
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
Commentary
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
By Austin SaratJuly 26, 2026
2 days ago
One-third of Seattle's downtown is empty: Here's how America's boomtown turned into one of the toughest places to find a job
Real Estate
One-third of Seattle's downtown is empty: Here's how America's boomtown turned into one of the toughest places to find a job
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Success
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 25, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.