High Housing Costs Put U.S. Residents In Harm's Way

The skyrocketing cost of housing has pushed many Americans to trade their lives in big coastal cities like New York and San Francisco for more affordable ones in Sunbelt cities and Southern suburbs.

Photo Insert: The number of loan applications for homes in high-risk areas rose from 90,462 in February 2020 to 187,669 in February 2022.

But that move could cost more in the long run, Eliza Relman reported for Business Insider.

These more affordable regions of the country are also facing much more severe impacts of climate change, including extreme heat, wildfires, floods, and droughts.

People are pouring into flood-prone Florida, moving into Houston not long after Hurricane Harvey devastated the city in 2017, and relocating to parts of the West and Southwest dealing with the worst droughts and wildfires in the country.

Rather than leaving areas at high risk of natural disasters and other climate issues, more Americans are moving into them.

US counties that have the most at-risk homes are all growing in population, while those with the fewest at-risk homes are almost all losing residents, according to a 2021 Redfin analysis.

The number of loan applications for homes in high-risk areas rose from 90,462 in February 2020 to 187,669 in February 2022, Freddie Mac reported.

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