Study maps 128 million U.S. structures, revealing 6.5 million residents in landslide zones

A team led by Daniel Acosta-Reyes at the University of Washington assembled the Landslide Exposure Database by merging USGS landslide data, building footprint information and nighttime occupancy estimates for 128 million U.S. structures. The map reveals that roughly 6.5 million people reside on or adjacent to landslide-susceptible land, with a disproportionate share living in eastern states despite the highest elevations being in the West.

Rural residents, who constitute 62 % of those at risk, often lack the financial means and public services needed for post-event recovery, a situation especially acute in the Appalachian Highlands and West Virginia. Wealthier urban areas like Seattle and San Francisco could mitigate danger through tighter zoning and homeowner-borne recovery costs, whereas lower-income rural locales would benefit from federal assistance, early-warning networks, and rainfall monitoring. Officials hope the database will guide land-use planning, emergency preparedness and future research on climate-driven landslide risk.