The states with the most properties at risk of substantial flooding this year are Florida, Texas and California, according to a new study from the First Street Foundation.
Each of the three states has more than 1 million properties at substantial risk of flooding, the analysis says, and that number is predicted to rise significantly in those states over the next three decades.
The foundation’s flood model calculations are based on a number of peer-reviewed studies. Florida’s significantly at-risk properties this year number 1.8 million, while Texas has 1.15 million and California 1.09 million, First Street reports.
In the 48 states and District of Columbia, 21.8 million properties are currently considered “at risk” by the study’s researchers. And the states with the largest proportion of their properties at risk from flooding are Louisiana (39.5 percent), Florida (29.5 percent) and West Virginia (28.1 percent).
The analysis examined flooding risks that come as a result of overflowing rivers, heavy rainfall, storm surges and tidal events.
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States Most at Risk of Significant Flooding in 2020
| Rank | State | Total Properties at Substantial Flood Risk in 2020 | Total Properties at Substantial Flood Risk in 2050 | 30-year Change in Properties at Substantial Risk |
| 1 | Florida | 1,800,000 | 2,200,000 | 341,000 |
| 2 | Texas | 1,150,000 | 1,330,000 | 182,800 |
| 3 | California | 1,090,000 | 1,150,000 | 59,900 |
| 4 | New York | 615,500 | 688,800 | 73,300 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 564,600 | 587,400 | 22,800 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 538,900 | 604,000 | 65,100 |
| 7 | Ohio | 493,000 | 519,700 | 26,700 |
| 8 | Louisiana | 477,100 | 809,800 | 332,700 |
| 9 | Illinois | 451,700 | 471,800 | 20,100 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 385,400 | 459,000 | 73,600 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 383,200 | 395,600 | 12,400 |
| 12 | Washington | 362,600 | 384,400 | 21,800 |
| 13 | Georgia | 347,700 | 382,100 | 34,400 |
| 14 | Virginia | 344,400 | 389,700 | 45,300 |
| 15 | Alabama | 334,900 | 355,700 | 20,800 |
| 16 | West Virginia | 326,600 | 331,500 | 4,900 |
| 17 | Michigan | 315,600 | 329,700 | 14,100 |
| 18 | Indiana | 282,500 | 295,000 | 12,500 |
| 19 | Missouri | 280,200 | 285,400 | 5,200 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 273,400 | 281,100 | 7,700 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 271,500 | 316,900 | 45,400 |
| 22 | Oregon | 268,000 | 284,600 | 16,600 |
| 23 | Mississippi | 255,700 | 280,700 | 25,000 |
| 24 | Kentucky | 227,000 | 234,300 | 7,300 |
| 25 | Minnesota | 215,600 | 219,100 | 3,500 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | 193,300 | 215,400 | 22,100 |
| 27 | Arkansas | 191,600 | 195,000 | 3,400 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 168,900 | 166,200 | -2,700 |
| 29 | Idaho | 148,400 | 159,900 | 11,500 |
| 30 | Maryland | 133,700 | 153,500 | 19,800 |
| 31 | Kansas | 133,400 | 134,600 | 1,200 |
| 32 | Colorado | 131,200 | 134,400 | 3,200 |
| 33 | New Mexico | 128,800 | 129,700 | 900 |
| 34 | Montana | 122,600 | 128,300 | 5,700 |
| 35 | Arizona | 118,700 | 120,600 | 1,900 |
| 36 | Utah | 113,100 | 120,900 | 7,800 |
| 37 | Connecticut | 106,700 | 117,000 | 10,300 |
| 38 | Nebraska | 102,000 | 102,000 | 0 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | 64,900 | 67,900 | 3,000 |
| 40 | South Dakota | 62,600 | 63,000 | 400 |
| 41 | North Dakota | 56,400 | 57,700 | 1,300 |
| 42 | Maine | 55,700 | 59,900 | 4,200 |
| 43 | Nevada | 44,600 | 47,300 | 2,700 |
| 44 | Delaware | 39,700 | 48,000 | 8,300 |
| 45 | Vermont | 39,700 | 40,600 | 900 |
| 46 | Wyoming | 35,200 | 37,200 | 2,000 |
| 47 | Iowa | 29,400 | 29,400 | 0 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 26,500 | 30,400 | 3,900 |
| 49 | Washington, D.C. | 7,300 | 8,000 | 700 |
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