Kin Insurance announced that nearly half of U.S. homeowners would avoid buying homes in California at high risk for natural disasters. The announcement was made in the 2025 Kin Generational Homeownership Survey.
The 2025 Kin Generational Homeownership Survey highlights growing anxiety among homeowners as extreme weather events become more frequent and destructive. A national sample of 1,000 homeowners revealed that nearly half are rethinking where they live based on natural disaster risk, marking a shift in real estate priorities away from high-risk coastal and storm-prone states. The findings reflect how the combined forces of rising premiums, disaster frequency, and insurance accessibility are changing homeowner attitudes toward risk tolerance and property location.
The 2025 Kin Generational Homeownership Survey found that 27% of U.S. homeowners would avoid buying a home in California due to wildfire and related climate risks. Wildfires ranked among the top national concerns, cited by 33% of respondents, with more than half expressing greater worry about fire damage than in previous years. The survey highlights how rising premiums, wildfire frequency, and repair costs are discouraging buyers in once-coveted regions of the state. As insurance affordability declines, many Californians are reevaluating their long-term housing choices in response to the state’s persistent environmental challenges.
The survey found that 72% of homeowners believe the cost of home insurance has become unaffordable, particularly in states frequently impacted by extreme weather. Among those surveyed, 34% strongly agreed and 42% somewhat agreed that affordability has worsened. In response, homeowners reported adapting by raising deductibles (22%), switching insurers (17%), or reducing coverage (9%). These cost-control measures, Kin notes, illustrate the difficult trade-offs families face when insuring homes in areas increasingly threatened by severe weather events.
Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Kin Insurance is a technology-driven home insurer offering homeowners, condo, landlord, and flood coverage in multiple U.S. states. The company operates through the Kin Interinsurance Network, a reciprocal exchange that reinvests profits to lower policy costs. The company leverages data analytics and digital tools to provide affordable, transparent coverage for homeowners, particularly in high-risk areas affected by hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.
