The 10 best cities to live in as climate change progresses

Insurify’s data scientists examined home values, home insurance costs, alternative transportation, and work-from-home rates in the 100 largest metro areas to determine where climate change is more likely and less likely to disrupt homeowners’ lives.

The total square footage of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings and FEMA NRI community resiliency scores influenced each city’s overall score. FEMA’s expected annual loss score, which Insurify broke down per capita, is based on exposure, annualized frequency, and historical loss ratios.

Insurify used these factors to create a final climate change adaptability score. The following 10 cities scored the highest.

1. Pittsburgh, PA

• Average annual home insurance cost: $1,126

• NRI community resilience score: 89.9

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $23

Once a Gilded Age steel industry boomtown, Pittsburgh has grown beyond its roots and emerged as a hub for healthcare, business services, life sciences, and computer science. Home insurance here is 61% cheaper than the U.S. average of $2,899, and the city’s inland geography protects homeowners from climate-related rate hikes seen in coastal areas.

Pittsburgh still faces climate challenges, including poor air and water quality, aging infrastructure, flooding, landslides, and extreme temperatures. The Pittsburgh Green Government Task Force’s Climate Action Plan 3.0 outlines emission reduction and climate resiliency goals, including powering all city facilities with 100% clean energy by 2030.^[2]

As part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) initiative, Pittsburgh has adopted a resilience strategy that aims to preserve affordable housing, modernize energy systems, improve water and air quality, manage natural resources sustainably, improve stormwater management, and enhance the city’s green infrastructure.^[3]

2. San Francisco, CA

• Average annual home insurance cost: $1,785

• NRI community resilience score: 86.7

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $20

Rising sea levels increase San Francisco’s flood risk, but a FEMA community resilience score of 86.7 out of 100 means the metro area is well-equipped to anticipate, withstand, and recover from climate catastrophes. A high earthquake risk contributes to San Francisco’s expected annual loss of $20 per capita.

San Francisco was the first city to complete a 100RC resilience plan. The plan emphasizes earthquake readiness and recovery strategies, including building code reforms, strengthening infrastructure, and promoting new hazard-resistant affordable housing developments.^[4]

San Francisco homeowners still deal with some climate-related drawbacks. Along with a current lack of affordable housing, California faces a statewide insurance crisis. The Sustainable Insurance Strategy aims to entice insurers to stay in the state — but several insurance companies have withdrawn, and the strategy is still under review.

3. Seattle, WA

• Average annual home insurance cost: $1,286

• NRI community resilience score: 74.8

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $5

Seattle has the lowest per capita expected annual losses of the 100 most populated U.S. cities, at just $5, according to FEMA NRI estimates. Lower expected annual losses mean less risk of expensive natural disaster claims for insurers, reflected in Seattle’s lower-than-average home insurance rates.

Nearly 9% of Seattle’s residents carpool to work, and 7% take public transportation, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. But rapid population growth, driven by e-commerce and technology companies, has contributed to transportation congestion in Seattle.

Seattle’s 100RC strategy aims to make transportation more efficient and accessible. The city has also invested in mitigating the risk of its greatest natural hazard — earthquakes — including a $3.35 billion project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Seattle’s Disaster Recovery Framework includes exploring ways to make earthquake insurance more affordable.^[5]

4. Cleveland, OH

• Average annual home insurance cost: $1,283

• NRI community resilience score: 96.0

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $35

Cleveland is one of the most affordable major cities where homeowners face fewer unexpected costs due to climate change. The metro area’s median home value is less than $216,000, and its home insurance rate is 56% lower than the national average.

Located along Lake Erie, Cleveland faces increasing risks of flooding and severe storm damage, but the city is well-prepared to handle natural hazards. Cleveland ties for the fourth-highest community resilience among the metro areas Insurify analyzed, scoring 96 out of 100 on FEMA’s NRI.

Cleveland joined a bipartisan climate action coalition with 400 other cities after the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2017. Since the Sustainable Cleveland initiative launched, the city has installed more than 70 miles of bike infrastructure, introduced a low-to-moderate-income solar program, and implemented a tree-planting plan.^[6]

5. Boston, MA

• Average annual home insurance cost: $2,133

• NRI community resilience score: 93.4

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $79

Boston’s waterfront location and arterial Charles River increase flood risk. Still, the metro area’s high community resilience and lower-than-average home insurance rates could help homeowners ride out climate change. Coastal resilience projects mitigate flood damage through elevation projects, man-made barriers, and nature-based solutions.^[7]

Boston has the highest home insurance rates among the 10 best cities for surviving climate change, but costs are still 26% lower than the U.S. average.

City initiatives to improve bike lanes and the trolley Track Improvement Program will serve the 9.7% of residents who take public transit to work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Boston is also one of the most walkable cities in the U.S., with an 83 out of 100 score from Walk Score.

6. Washington, D.C.

• Average annual home insurance cost: $1,203

• NRI community resilience score: 56.9

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $70

Lower-than-average insurance rates and robust public transportation make Washington, D.C., one of the best cities to avoid climate change. The D.C. metro area has the second-highest percentage of residents commuting by alternative transportation or working from home (41%) out of the 100 areas Insurify analyzed, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Washington, D.C., also has the most LEED-certified building square footage, at 86 square feet per capita. Buildings must meet emission reduction, energy efficiency, public health, and environmental requirements to achieve LEED certification.

7. Portland, OR

• Average annual home insurance cost: $1,161

• NRI community resilience score: 71.7

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $10

Portland homeowners pay about 60% less for home insurance than the national average, and expected annual losses from natural hazards are just $10 per capita, according to FEMA’s NRI. In 1993, Portland became the first U.S. city to create a local plan to decrease carbon emissions.

Nearly 36% of Portland metro area residents commute via alternative transportation or work from home, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. More than 400 miles of bikeways make it easy to cycle around the city, earning Portland an 83 out of 100 bike score from Walk Score.

Models predict the Pacific Northwest will see more precipitation during the winter and fewer but stronger storms as climate change progresses, which could increase the flood risk in Portland. The Portland metro area addresses the risk by fostering healthy native ecosystems and protecting and restoring headwaters, wetlands, and floodplains.^[8]

8. Syracuse, NY

• Average annual home insurance cost: $1,214

• NRI community resilience score: 88.3

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $28

Syracuse is an affordable city for homeowners to avoid the effects of climate change. Average homeowners insurance rates are 58% below the U.S. average, and the city has a high FEMA community resilience score. Syracuse is also among the 10 best cities for homebuyers with a household income of $75,000.

Syracuse is poised to be a climate refuge city, with milder weather and geographic features that insulate it from natural hazards.^[9] The city invests $1.8 billion annually in climate resilience infrastructure, representing 9.7% of its total annual capital budget.^[10]

An $8 million study to implement flood storage along Onondaga Creek could protect downstream property in highly populated areas. As temperatures rise, Syracuse’s Urban Forest Master Plan aims to increase the tree canopy from 27% to 34% by planting an additional 57,400 trees over 20 years.

9. Harrisburg, PA

• Average annual home insurance cost: $1,064

• NRI community resilience score: 94.8

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $86

At $1,064, Harrisburg’s average annual home insurance rate is 63% less than the national average and the lowest among the 10 best cities for enduring climate change.

But Harrisburg’s geography isn’t without climate challenges. Bisected by the Susquehanna River, almost half of Harrisburg properties have a greater than 26% chance of flooding over the next 30 years.^[11]

Plans to build a flood wall proposed after Hurricane Agnes in 1972 have stalled indefinitely, but the U.S. Army Corps Silver Jacket program has developed flood inundation mapping for Harrisburg. Despite growing flood risks, Harrisburg has a high community resilience score — 94.8 out of 100 — according to FEMA’s NRI.

10. Buffalo, NY

• Average annual home insurance cost: $1,218

• NRI community resilience score: 93.6

• NRI expected annual losses per capita: $21

Buffalo homeowners pay 58% less for home insurance than the U.S. average, and FEMA’s expected annual losses per capita total just $21. The city also has high community resilience, according to FEMA’s NRI.

Located in upstate New York and just over 150 miles from Syracuse, Buffalo is also a climate haven. Proximity to the Great Lakes will keep Buffalo cooler as temperatures rise, but it may also increase the severity of winter storms and heavy precipitation.

Buffalo obtained $220,000 in funding from the Department of Environmental Conservation Climate Smart Communities grant program. The city is working with a consultant and community partners to assess vulnerabilities and create climate action and adaptation plans.