28 Major U.S. Cities Are Slowly Sinking

Not only are we dealing with rising sea levels, wildfires, and the existential dread of late-stage capitalism that fuels it all, but now the very ground beneath our feet is giving way, too. A new satellite radar study published in Nature Cities just confirmed that all—literally every single one—of the 28 most populated cities in the U.S. is sinking.

According to the study, at least 20 percent of the land in each major city analyzed sank between 2015 and 2021. In 25 out of 28 cities, over 65 percent of the land is slowly collapsing. Cities like Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth are sinking fast, with rates topping 4 millimeters per year. It’s double that in some places. It’s not just coastal cities. Denver, Chicago, and even landlocked Indianapolis are on very literal shaky ground.

All this sinking occurring in the 28 states can best be summed up in the worst-hit city, Houston. More than 40 percent of Houston’s land is sinking, and at a rate that is concerning. It’s largely caused by mining for groundwater, along with oil and gas extraction.

Why Is the United States Literally Sinking?

Rising sea levels caused by climate change play a role, too, but mostly with coastal cities. Scientists warn that uneven sinking can shatter roads, crack building foundations, and turn everyday infrastructure into death traps.

All told, these 28 sinking cities are home to 34 million people. 12 percent of the American populace lives in a city that may not be at immediate risk of catastrophic, apocalyptic, and very literal collapse. But it is a possibility one day, off in the distant future.

What are we doing about it? Not much, which seems to be par for the course for the human race nowadays. We love staring massive, literally earth-shattering existential problems in the face, problems that we absolutely could solve if we were better at prioritizing, and we love turning a blind eye, throwing on a podcast, and ignoring it.

Some cities, like New Orleans, which has a history of watery disasters, are trying to future-proof with drainage systems and saltwater defenses, but it’s not nearly enough to stop a city from collapsing.