The increasing frequency of hurricane activity in the United States means that some 33.1 million homes across the country – from Texas to Maine – are at moderate or greater risk of hurricane wind damage, a new report from Cotality has found.
The insurance data insights firm’s 2025 Hurricane Risk Report examined the growing financial and social costs associated with hurricane activity, and noted that the risk of damage has extended to areas not traditionally associated with hurricanes.
‘More consistent’
“Our data shows that the coastline is evolving, with the impacts of hurricanes extending not only further – both in cost and distance – but also on a more consistent basis,” commented Maiclaire Bolton-Smith, vice president of insurance product marketing at Cotality. “This is being reflected in insurance pricing, which in some cases can actually price people out of what had previously been thought of as less-risky markets.”
The combined reconstruction cost value (RCV) of the homes at moderate or greater risk stands at $11.7 trillion, Cotality noted.
Elsewhere, the firm has identified some 6.4 million homes that face a moderate or greater risk from storm surge flooding, representing another $2.2 trillion in exposure.
A real risk
Each hurricane season is different, Cotality noted, however at least two hurricanes make direct landfall each year, meaning that the ‘risk is not just real, but is impacting how long homes stay on the market’, it noted.
Its report suggests that as many as 656,000 homes in Charleston, S.C., Wilmington, N.C., and Virginia Beach, Va. are at risk of storm surge flooding if a hurricane makes direct landfall, for example.
“While the challenges facing coastal real estate markets are serious, they are not insurmountable,” Bolton-Smith added. “Insurance premiums, lending decisions, property values, and real estate trends are all influenced by risk, but that also means they can be managed with the right information.
“Insurability remains a challenge, but as technology continues to advance modelling capabilities, there is reason to be optimistic.” Read more here.
