The growth in population of coastal areas illustrates the importance of emergency planning and preparedness for areas that are more susceptible to inclement weather conditions. The U.S. Census Bureau’s official population estimates, along with annually updated socioeconomic data from the new American Community Survey, provide a detailed look at the nation’s growing coastal population. Emergency planners and community leaders can better assess the needs of coastal populations using census data.

The number of Americans residing in a coastal county passed the 150 million mark in 2005, making the coastal population larger than the entire U.S. population in 1950.

Today, more than half of the U.S. population lives in a coastal area (as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – NOAA), even though the 673 coastal counties constitute only about one fourth of the countries landmass.