More People Are Moving to These Hurricane-Prone Regions

Sunshine and warmth are always a huge attraction for many people. In the United States, many Americans plan their vacations in areas where the temperatures are higher than normal and the sun shines more on average than in other areas. They often fall in love with this esthetic so much that they decide to live in these areas full time. But beautiful weather comes at a cost. Areas like Florida and North Carolina see an unusual amount of hurricane activity, yet, more people are moving to these hurricane-prone regions.

States like North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida boast beautiful beaches and have incredible sunshine for most of the year but they also experience hurricanes. FEMA created a National Risk Index to alert the general public, private businesses, and the local and state governments of what to expect during natural hazards.

Weather phenomena can occur just about everywhere you may live. From floods to earthquakes to blizzards, choosing not to live someplace based on weather isn't a likely scenario but you should always be informed before you go. Hurricanes may take some getting used to, but they don't happen every day, and they can be prepared for, which allows residents time to find shelter or evacuate, depending on the severity of the hurricane.

To determine the hurricane zones people are flocking to, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on population change due to net migration from the U.S. Census Bureau's Population and Housing Unit Estimates program and natural hazard risk for counties from the March 2023 FEMA National Risk Index dataset. Counties classified as "relatively high" or "very high" risk of hurricanes by FEMA were ranked based on total population change due to net migration from April 2020 to July 2023. (Also Read: This US City Has the Highest Hurricane Threat Today)

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +4,142 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 97.4/100
• Total population: 65,731
• County seat: Georgetown

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +4,451 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 97.7/100
• Total population: 249,750
• County seat: Lafayette

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +5,297 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.7/100
• Total population: 218,464
• County seat: Crestview

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +5,364 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 100.0/100
• Total population: 4,835,125
• County seat: Houston

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +6,136 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.5/100
• Total population: 303,655
• County seat: Savannah

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +6,655 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 96.5/100
• Total population: 150,145
• County seat: Livingston

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +6,751 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 95.9/100
• Total population: 285,994
• County seat: Gainesville

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +6,790 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.9/100
• Total population: 326,928
• County seat: Pensacola

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +7,164 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.0/100
• Total population: 169,833
• County seat: St. George

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +8,508 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.2/100
• Total population: 163,315
• County seat: Stuart

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +8,678 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 96.6/100
• Total population: 68,521
• County seat: Burgaw

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +9,402 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.3/100
• Total population: 361,744
• County seat: Galveston

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +9,898 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.9/100
• Total population: 1,962,531
• County seat: Fort Lauderdale

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +10,292 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 97.8/100
• Total population: 275,583
• County seat: Covington

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +11,045 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 97.1/100
• Total population: 86,354
• County seat: DeFuniak Springs

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +11,894 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 96.9/100
• Total population: 484,271
• County seat: Sanford

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +12,003 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.6/100
• Total population: 424,367
• County seat: Charleston

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +12,312 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.1/100
• Total population: 198,979
• County seat: Beaufort

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +13,516 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.4/100
• Total population: 238,852
• County seat: Wilmington

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +14,519 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.5/100
• Total population: 169,795
• County seat: Vero Beach

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +15,248 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 97.3/100
• Total population: 203,162
• County seat: Milton

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +16,345 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.7/100
• Total population: 190,769
• County seat: Panama City

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +20,492 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 97.8/100
• Total population: 166,696
• County seat: Inverness

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +21,608 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.5/100
• Total population: 398,938
• County seat: Angleton

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +21,634 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.1/100
• Total population: 1,471,416
• County seat: Orlando

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +21,848 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.7/100
• Total population: 961,596
• County seat: Clearwater

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +22,774 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.6/100
• Total population: 255,217
• County seat: Moncks Corner

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +23,082 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.9/100
• Total population: 253,507
• County seat: Bay Minette

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +24,135 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 97.5/100
• Total population: 212,807
• County seat: Brooksville

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +26,144 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.4/100
• Total population: 159,964
• County seat: Bolivia

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +26,686 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.1/100
• Total population: 206,134
• County seat: Punta Gorda

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +27,300 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.8/100
• Total population: 1,030,822
• County seat: Jacksonville

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +32,303 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.5/100
• Total population: 404,310
• County seat: East Naples

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +43,614 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 97.3/100
• Total population: 409,959
• County seat: Ocala

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +44,165 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 96.4/100
• Total population: 437,784
• County seat: Kissimmee

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +45,913 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.2/100
• Total population: 441,095
• County seat: Bradenton

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +46,645 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 96.5/100
• Total population: 424,462
• County seat: Tavares

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +47,334 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.1/100
• Total population: 373,586
• County seat: Fort Pierce

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +48,227 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 96.0/100
• Total population: 320,110
• County seat: St. Augustine

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +48,445 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.3/100
• Total population: 469,013
• County seat: Sarasota

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +48,888 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.2/100
• Total population: 590,357
• County seat: DeLand

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +49,293 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.9/100
• Total population: 1,533,801
• County seat: West Palm Beach

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +49,354 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.7/100
• Total population: 643,979
• County seat: Titusville

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +52,189 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.6/100
• Total population: 397,478
• County seat: Conway

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +62,932 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.8/100
• Total population: 1,535,564
• County seat: Tampa

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +78,725 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.6/100
• Total population: 632,996
• County seat: Dade City

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +79,820 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.2/100
• Total population: 916,778
• County seat: Richmond

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +79,992 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 99.8/100
• Total population: 834,573
• County seat: Fort Myers

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +80,887 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 95.8/100
• Total population: 711,354
• County seat: Conroe

• Population change due to net migration, 2020 to 2023: +94,601 residents
• FEMA hurricane risk rating: 98.7/100
• Total population: 818,330
• County seat: Bartow