Texas has seen much growth over the last few years as people move from other places, and the existing population within the state continues to increase. There’s a lot to love in Texas, from the family-friendly atmosphere to famous cities like Dallas and Houston. However, there are some risks to consider, especially when it comes to the potential of inclement weather. If you’re considering moving to The Lone Star State, you should think twice about some of the most disaster-prone cities in Texas.
Texas is a big state with many safe communities, but some areas are more prone to disaster and weather phenomena than others. Take Galveston for instance. While the city has friendly people and a great culture, you have an increased risk of heat waves, hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, and extreme winter weather. Another famous city is Corpus Christi, TX in Nueces County. There’s a lot to see and do in the city. However, go at the wrong time, and you could face the potential risk of ice storms, tornadoes, and cold snaps during the winter. While the chance of experiencing these risks may depend on what time of the year you’re there, think about them before buying a house and calling the place home.
It’s natural for people to fear weather disasters, which is why many disaster-prone cities in Texas are experiencing steep population decline. For instance, the lovely town of Lufkin, TX has experienced close to a 5% population decline since 2017. In Nacogdoches, TX, the population decline is over 3%. With that said, many of the cities on this list are experiencing major population growth. Ultimately, where you live is your decision, but we encourage you to learn the facts before you go. (After this article, check out the 25 US Cities Best Prepared to Handle a Natural Disaster .)
Methodology:
To determine the most disaster-prone cities in Texas, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on natural hazard risk for U.S. census tracts from the March 2023 FEMA National Risk Index dataset. Cities were ranked based on the average National Risk Index score – a composite risk score of 18 natural hazards: avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, and winter weather – for all census tracts within their borders. Data was aggregated from the census tract level to the city level using spatial boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGER/Line program . Supplemental data on the total value of all owner-occupied homes and populations is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey . Only places with at least 25,000 residents were considered.
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 74.8/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.2 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +11.6%
- Total population: 32,168
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 75.8/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.2 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +31.3%
- Total population: 48,484
Source: Alexander Lukatskiy / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 76.0/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $0.9 million
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -2.8%
- Total population: 35,463
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 77.2/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.2 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -4.8%
- Total population: 34,165
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 77.3/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $0.8 million
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -4.3%
- Total population: 32,148
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 77.8/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $7.9 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +20.6%
- Total population: 125,028
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 78.2/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.2 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +7.6%
- Total population: 31,849
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 78.4/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.7 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +3.5%
- Total population: 79,434
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 78.4/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.3 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -0.1%
- Total population: 82,176
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 78.9/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $8.1 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +8.5%
- Total population: 142,262
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 79.4/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $9.8 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +1.3%
- Total population: 200,360
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 80.3/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.1 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +13.4%
- Total population: 46,202
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 80.7/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.4 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +3.3%
- Total population: 85,755
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 81.9/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $28.6 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +1.2%
- Total population: 284,948
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 82.0/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.9 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +12.0%
- Total population: 67,143
Source: Sabrina Janelle Gordon / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 82.6/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.0 million
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +9.5%
- Total population: 28,923
Source: Daggs Droneworks / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 82.9/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $10.6 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +15.5%
- Total population: 113,469
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 84.1/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $14.8 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -1.5%
- Total population: 317,804
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 85.2/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $28.5 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +30.1%
- Total population: 202,075
Source: SevenMaps / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 85.3/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.9 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -1.9%
- Total population: 37,853
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 85.5/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.1 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +9.2%
- Total population: 71,497
Source: AlizadaStudios / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 86.3/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $19.0 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +19.1%
- Total population: 196,160
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 87.1/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.7 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +2.7%
- Total population: 186,999
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 87.5/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $13.4 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +26.7%
- Total population: 110,077
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 87.6/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $6.0 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +2.5%
- Total population: 74,517
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 87.9/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $10.9 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +8.9%
- Total population: 105,444
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 88.0/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.0 million
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +3.6%
- Total population: 40,858
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 88.0/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.5 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -3.3%
- Total population: 114,573
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 88.0/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.2 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +17.2%
- Total population: 100,964
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 88.1/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $136.4 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +1.3%
- Total population: 2,296,253
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 88.4/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.7 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +19.2%
- Total population: 57,063
Source: NayaDadara / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 88.8/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $5.7 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +84.2%
- Total population: 31,507
Source: Gilbert S. Grant / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 89.0/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.4 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +10.4%
- Total population: 63,930
Source: Jacob Boomsma / iStock via Getty Images
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 89.2/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.0 million
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +6.0%
- Total population: 25,107
Source: SevenMaps / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 89.2/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $6.9 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +18.6%
- Total population: 89,121
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 89.9/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.7 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +1.3%
- Total population: 55,897
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 90.2/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.9 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -1.6%
- Total population: 65,481
Source: Lucio Vasquez / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 90.4/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.3 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +0.9%
- Total population: 34,046
Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 90.4/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $0.6 million
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -2.4%
- Total population: 25,265
Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 91.0/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $10.7 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +9.5%
- Total population: 124,478
Source: Christian Perry / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 93.2/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.0 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +10.8%
- Total population: 84,449
Source: Citysqwirl / iStock via Getty Images
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 93.3/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $5.3 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: -2.1%
- Total population: 150,620
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 93.5/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.1 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +1.6%
- Total population: 35,782
Source: rlsmithtx / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 93.8/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.6 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +8.0%
- Total population: 38,722
Source: Patrish Jackson / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 94.5/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.4 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +5.4%
- Total population: 40,888
Source: Nick Fox / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 95.1/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.7 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +5.4%
- Total population: 43,204
Source: amy71465 / Shutterstock.com
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 95.6/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.3 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +12.3%
- Total population: 53,084
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 96.1/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.7 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +2.3%
- Total population: 27,954
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- FEMA National Risk Index score: 98.6/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.1 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +5.9%
- Total population: 27,325
Source: kat-co / iStock via Getty Images
- FEMA National Risk Index score: 99.3/100
- Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.7 billion
- Population change, 2017 to 2022: +7.2%
- Total population: 53,265
The post The Most Disaster-Prone Cities in Texas appeared first on 24/7 Tempo .
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