Nearly Half of American Homeowners Are Considering Moving in 2026 To Escape This Growing Threat

The forecast for the 2026 housing market looks brighter than the last few years, but only if homeowners can find less turbulent places to live. 

According to Kin, a direct-to-consumer, digital home insurance and finance provider and their inaugural Homeownership Trends Report, 49% of homeowners have moving on their mind. The desire to have folks relocating again should put housing experts on cloud nine, but there is a catch. 

The reason behind this potential mass migration? Climate concerns. But what location is truly right as rain?

Homeowners don’t want to weather the storms any more

Kin surveyed 1,000 single-family homeowners in the United States in their report, looking to decipher just how much weather plays a role in their housing decisions. 

The vast majority of recipients (93%) admitted their concern about damage to their home in the next two to three years due to extreme weather.

Looking back at the last three years, it’s not hard to understand their concern. The LA wildfires. Hurricane Milton and Helene. The Central Texas floods. If the last five years have taught homeowners anything, it’s that the worst can strike at any time. 

And it sounds like homeowners are considering that for the future. 68% of those surveyed homeowners expect the frequency of extreme weather events in their area to increase in 2026 compared to 2025.

Though no one has a crystal ball, the new year has always started with a flurry of weather activity, with snow squalls and a bomb cyclone, while flooding continues to be an issue for areas along the West Coast.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, there are several factors that will shape the rest of the winter season that homeowners should be on the lookout for. 

For one, La Niña’s trajectory will be important. It began fading as the Pacific transitioned toward neutral conditions towards the end of the year. The National Weather Service has seen the same continue. Additionally, longer-term ocean patterns remain steady, with a warm Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and a cool Pacific Decadal Oscillation continuing to influence where storms tend to develop and intensify, according to the Almanac. This likely is contributing to the snow and heavy rain hitting the Pacific Northwest recently 

Where to move next?

Among those considering relocation due to climate concerns, a quarter are considering moving to a different state entirely. 

Florida (58%) and California (52%) top the list of states homeowners who say they would avoid moving to because of extreme weather risks, followed by Hawaii (24%), Louisiana (22%), Texas (21%), and Alaska (21%).

This isn’t exactly surprising. In Florida, for example, Florida Atlantic University’s Business and Economic Polling Initiative (BEPI) recently revealed that just under 50% of Floridians are "seriously considering" moving due to the rising cost of living, which includes the skyrocketing insurance premiums.

Given the extreme weather events that have hit the state over the past decade, Florida remains one of the most expensive states for insuring homes, and insurance is a major factor for homeowners these days. 

The average home insurance premium nationwide increased by 24% between 2021 and 2024, 11% higher than inflation over the same period, according to Kin. 49% of homeowners told them insurance costs weigh "very heavily" or "seriously" on their home purchasing decisions, while 70% say insurance costs weigh more heavily on their decisions than they did five years ago. And 31% aren't confident they'll be able to maintain adequate coverage in 2026.

With that in mind, it’s clear to see why the Sunshine State has experienced some of the most dramatic ups and downs in domestic migration over the past six years. 

Florida's net domestic migration rate increased from 6.5% in 2019 to 8.1% in 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data analyzed for the report.

In the years that followed, Florida's in-migration rate climbed to 11.4% in 2021 and peaked at 14.2% in 2022. 

The following year, the rate dropped to 8.2%, and in 2024, it nosedived to 2.8% as Florida found itself hamstrung by rising home prices, insurance costs,  and a higher cost of living. 

The good news is that in Florida, insurance prices are on the precipice of stabilizing after years of painfully rapid increases, according to regulators in charge of overseeing the state's insurance industry.

“We have seen great success in Florida’s market recently, and we hope to build on this momentum," Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky said in December.

While increased migration would be a welcomed trend for the housing industry, homeowners looking to escape extreme weather patterns should consider their options carefully.

For one thing, it may be hard to find a dream land shielded entirely from the elements. For another, insurance premiums have a 16% increase projected by 2027, according to industry estimates.

So for homeowners looking for a change, the choice may be where to move for more affordability and safety, but it also may mean shopping around for the best insurance to keep the home you already have safe.