Publication

Housing in the U.S. Floodplains

This brief, presented in conjuction with FloodzoneData.us describes characteristics about the housing stock located in the U.S. floodplains.  Between 2011 and 2015, five percent of all occupied housing units in the United States were located in the 100-year floodplain, and 10 percent were located in combined (100- and 500-year) floodplains. The brief details factors that are important to understand when assessing the risk from flooding and the challenges of retrofitting, including the shares that are rental and owner-occupied, the age of the housing, and whether the housing is government subsidized.