Renters Predicted to be More Mobile than Homeowners: Emphasizing Housing Tenure in Environmental Migration Research

• In Event: Environmental Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 6: Migration, Mobility, and Retreat

Abstract

As flooding becomes the leading driver of weather-related displacement in the United States, research is racing to identify predictors of post-flood environmental migration to inform better climate adaptation policies and planning. Many studies find that social vulnerabilities such as race, income, and age may be predictors of post-flood mobility. However, housing tenure, or the difference between renters and homeowners, is a relatively understudied vulnerability in environmental-migration research. This study aims to explore the role of housing tenure in predicting the likelihood of post-flood migration. This research uses longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, combined with storm event data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and demographic data from the American Community Survey, spanning 2009 to 2023, to examine the role of tenure in post-flood mobility. Employing a series of linear probability models, this study finds that renters are more likely to move out of their ZCTA. In contrast, homeowners are more likely to stay after flooding. These results highlight the importance of home tenure as a predictor of environmental migration, and they underscore the need for equitable climate adaptation and recovery policies.

Author

• Kathryn E Foster, Cornell University