Flooding is becoming more frequent and intense in coastal areas of the United States due to climate change. This creates serious concerns for people who live in or near flood zones, especially in the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. One important question is how this flood risk affects the price of homes. Do homes located in high-risk flood zones lose value compared to similar homes in safer areas?

In this study, we use data on home sales, building characteristics, and official FEMA flood zone maps to explore this question. We apply ten different modeling methods—five traditional statistical models and five modern machine learning techniques—to estimate how much flood risk influences housing prices. We also compare how well these models perform using several accuracy measures.

Our findings show that flood risk can significantly lower housing prices in certain areas, but the effects are not the same everywhere. Some regions show stronger price impacts than others, and some models capture these effects better than others. This research helps policymakers, homeowners, and developers better understand the financial risks of flooding and supports smarter decisions about housing, insurance, and climate adaptation.