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More Than Half of Americans Say Risks to their Homes from Weather Related Events are Increasing According to NeighborWorks America Survey  

One-in-Five say Access to Homeowners and Renters Insurance is Difficult

Washington D.C. — A new NeighborWorks America survey highlights a growing concern among Americans of the escalating risks to their homes from extreme weather events. This concern reflects a growing recognition of dangerous weather and its direct implications for housing security.

The survey finds that more than half of Americans believe that the risk to their homes from dangerous weather is increasing, while nearly one-in-five (19%) households report having trouble accessing homeowner or renter insurance due to the risk of extreme weather where they live.  

The findings highlight notable differences in awareness depending on income levels. Households with higher incomes are more likely to say that climate-related risks are increasing, with 61% of households with income above $100,000 and 57% of households with income between $50,0000 and $100,000 saying their risk is growing somewhat or a lot. Forty-five percent of households with income below $50,000 acknowledge the same threat.

The perception of increasing climate risks tracks with reported difficulty accessing insurance. The survey results indicate that 24% of higher income households and 21% of households with income between $50,000 and $100,000 encounter difficulty getting access to coverage, compared to 16% of lower income households. Importantly, 18% of renters report having difficulty accessing insurance due to the risk of extreme weather conditions where they live.  

“Americans recognize the growing risk to their homes from climate-related disaster and are looking for ways to insure against those risks,” said NeighborWorks America CEO and President Marietta Rodriguez. “But the challenge to access adequate and affordable insurance also underscores a significant preparedness gap that must be addressed given one-third of households say they are not prepared to deal with extreme weather events.”

Regarding adequate and affordable insurance, 22% of respondents overall said they had trouble obtaining a policy that is adequate and affordable, with 26% of homeowners reporting a problem getting adequate and affordable insurance, compared to 19% of renters.  

With respect to location, 19% of rural respondents say getting an adequate and affordable policy is a problem, compared to 24% and 23% for suburban and urban households, respectively.

Because the aftermath of extreme weather events is unpredictable, nearly half (46%) of respondents indicated they are somewhat concerned (27%) or very concerned (19%) about having to find a new home due to damage from extreme weather. These concerns are nearly the same across low- moderate- and higher-income households, as well as across geographic types.

“These findings demonstrate that homeowners and renters across America — regardless of location or income — urgently require comprehensive assistance and improved information to protect their homes and communities from weather-related disasters. It is essential to help them access and afford the resources to manage these risks,” said Rodriguez.

About NeighborWorks America

Celebrating 45 years, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp., a national, nonpartisan nonprofit known as NeighborWorks America, has strived to make every community a place of opportunity. Our network of excellence includes nearly 250 nonprofits in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and on Native lands. NeighborWorks offers grant funding, peer exchange, technical assistance, evaluation tools and access to best-in-class training as the nation's leading trainer of housing and community development professionals. NeighborWorks network organizations provide residents in their communities with affordable homes, owned and rented; financial counseling and coaching; community building through resident engagement; and collaboration in the areas of health, employment and education.

About NeighborWorks America's survey

Methodology: This poll was conducted between August 15 - August 17, 2024 among a sample of 2,506 adults. The weighting scheme used involved a two-stage weighting system. An oversample of rural adults was initially weighted to their respective population proportions on age, gender, and education. Then those first-stage weights were filtered into the general population weights and the entire sample of adults was weighted on age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, and region to match national proportions for the U.S. The interviews were conducted online. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.