Movers Still Flocking to Wildfire Prone Areas [New LendingTree Report]

Wildfires are a terrifying reality for many homeowners, yet many Americans continue to move to metros with high wildfire risk. 

In fact, according to the latest study from LendingTree, just two of the 29 metros with the highest wildfire risk had a higher rate of people moving out than in. Here’s what else we found.

• Among the metros with the highest wildfire risk, Flagstaff has the highest rate of people moving in. The Arizona metro added 137 people per 1,000 residents. Ocala, Fla. (97), and Chico, Calif. (85), followed.
• Flagstaff also has the highest rate of people moving out. Suggesting a high population turnover, Flagstaff lost 80 people per 1,000 residents. Redding, Calif. (62), and Denver (62) followed.
• Two California metros — Los Angeles and Fresno — have the lowest rates of people moving in and out. That suggests a stable population. Both metros finished with positive migration (more people moving in than out) rates — 8 per 1,000 residents in Los Angeles and 15 in Fresno.
• Only two of the 29 metros with the highest wildfire risk have more people moving out than in. Redding had the biggest negative migration rate at 4.8 per 1,000 residents. Meanwhile, Wenatchee, Wash., saw a negative migration rate of 0.9.

You can check out the full report and rankings here: https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/wildfire-risk-study/

LendingTree's Chief Consumer Finance Analyst, Matt Schulz, had this to say:

"Whether you're talking about fires, hurricanes, earthquakes or any other type of natural disaster, it is important to understand the risks you face when buying a house in a certain area. That doesn't mean that fire safety should be at the top of your list of priorities for a home. However, if you're not at least considering it, you could be doing your family a disservice, especially in the most fire-prone areas."

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