Employment in Coastal Inundation Zones

NOAA’s Employment in Coastal Inundation Zones project maps employment in FEMA special flood hazard areas—areas with a one-percent annual chance of flooding—in nearly 600 counties in coastal and riverine areas of the U.S.

• Over one million jobs are in special flood hazard areas in those counties.
• 116,000 jobs in Miami-Dade County are in special flood hazard areas—the highest of any U.S. county.
• Six of the 10 counties with the most jobs at risk from flooding are in Florida.
• Twenty percent of jobs in Tyrrell County, North Carolina, are located in a special flood hazard area—the largest proportion of any U.S. county.
• Seventeen U.S. counties have at least 10 percent of their jobs in special flood hazard areas; 67 counties have at least five percent of their jobs in special flood hazard areas.

Employment in Coastal Inundation Zones estimates the number of jobs at risk of flooding from hurricane storm surge in over 200 coastal counties.

• In those counties, 321,000 jobs are within a category one hurricane storm surge zone, and 1.4 million are within a category four hurricane storm surge zone.
• Six of the 10 counties with the most jobs at risk are in Florida. In those six counties, 108,000 jobs are in a category one hurricane storm surge zone and 387,000 are within a category four storm surge zone.
• If a category four hurricane hits Miami-Dade County, the storm surge alone is likely to flood establishments that provide 122,000 jobs.
• Seventy-three counties covered by Employment in Coastal Inundation Zones have at least 10 percent of their jobs in a category four hurricane storm surge zone.
• Louisiana’s parishes have the highest percentage of jobs inside hurricane storm surge zones. Eighteen percent of jobs in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, are within a category one storm surge zone. Meanwhile, 26 percent of jobs in Ascension Parish are within a category four storm surge zone.

Employment in Coastal Inundation Zones also reports employment in the tsunami run-up zone in 50 counties across California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

• Honolulu County has the greatest number of jobs at risk, at 41,000.
• However, several counties have a higher proportion of employment in a tsunami run-up zone. Eighteen percent of jobs in Clatsop County, Oregon, are within that zone.

Employment in Coastal Inundation Zones estimates the number of jobs in over 200 coastal counties where workplaces would be inundated under different levels of sea level rise. These estimates are based on mean high water levels, not water levels during floods.

• Sea levels along the U.S. coastline are projected to rise by about one foot on average over the next 30 years (2020 to 2050). This increase would inundate more than 6,000 establishments, affecting nearly 22,000 jobs in the counties studied. About 4,500 jobs would be impacted in Santa Clara County, California. In Tyrell County, North Carolina, that amount of sea level rise would affect five percent of employment.
• About two feet of sea level rise along the U.S. coastline is increasingly likely between 2020 and 2100 because of emissions to date. This would inundate 12,000 establishments, accounting for nearly 46,000 jobs in the counties studied. About 8,200 jobs would be impacted in Santa Clara County, California. In Tyrell County, North Carolina, that amount of sea level rise would affect 10 percent of employment.
• Failing to curb future emissions could cause an additional 1.5 to five feet of rise for a total of 3.5 to seven feet by the end of this century. Seven feet of sea level rise would inundate 220,000 establishments accounting for nearly 787,000 jobs in the counties studied. Over one-third of these jobs are located in three counties: Miami-Dade County, Florida; Broward County, Florida; and San Mateo County, California. In Tyrell County, North Carolina, that amount of sea level rise would affect 21 percent of employment.