Flood-prone America is losing people, and losing them faster.
High-flood-risk counties across the U.S. lost 63,357 more residents than they gained in 2025 — nearly double the net outflow recorded the prior year, according to a Redfin analysis of U.S. Census Bureau domestic migration data published Tuesday.
Miami-Dade County led all flood-prone counties with a net outflow of 72,254 residents — the largest on record for the county. Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, ranked second at 43,377. Four Florida counties made the top 10 outflow list: Miami-Dade, Pinellas, Collier and Monroe. Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish, Louisiana — where roughly 99 percent of homes face high flood risk, the highest shares in the nation — also appeared on the list.
Redfin cited rising insurance premiums, higher repair costs, difficulty obtaining flood coverage, soaring homeowners association dues and broad housing cost increases as drivers. Politics factored in, too: Redfin agents noted some pandemic-era transplants to Florida are now leaving over the state’s political environment.
Daryl Fairweather | Redfin
“Climate risk is becoming a more important factor when Americans weigh the costs and benefits of living in a certain place,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in the report.
A separate Redfin survey of roughly 1,000 U.S. residents planning to move in the next 12 months, conducted by Ipsos in May 2026, found 16 percent cited concern for natural disasters or climate risks — the fourth-most-common reason among 29 options.
Not every high-risk county is shrinking. St. Johns County, Florida, just south of Jacksonville, posted the largest net inflow among flood-prone counties at 12,549. Redfin noted that the counties still drawing residents tend to be more affordable — all 10 top-inflow counties had median list prices under $500,000, while three of the top outflow counties had median prices at or above $1 million.
