3 million US citizens become 'climate migrants': analysis reveals their whereabouts

have experienced increased migration over the past two decades, including states such as Florida and Texas.

These communities risk falling into an economic spiral of decline as population loss leads to a decline in real estate values and local services, the organization notes.

"There are clear winners and losers here in terms of the impact of flood risk on neighborhood-level population change," said Jeremy Porter, head of climate impact research at the First Street Foundation. He added: "The implications are huge and affect property values, neighborhood population composition and commercial viability both positively and negatively. "

Zones of climatic dereliction exist throughout thethe country, even in some of the fastest-growing metro areas, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications. The population of about 513 counties nationwide has grown faster than average since the last two decades, but at the same time, some areas in those counties have been losing population due to high flood risk.

The following are just a few examples: the most affected county is Bexar County in Texas, which includes San Antonio.

The county attracted more than 644,000 new residents between 2000 and 2020, but at the same time about 17 percent of its census blocks saw population declines, according to a First Street report.

The analysis also looks at U.S. regions,who may face relocations due to climate change in the next decades, and perhaps surprisingly, some Midwestern states, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, are among that group.