Study Shows 25 of 28 Major U.S. Cities Are Rapidly Sinking

It’s not just sea level rise threatening America’s cities—some of the ground itself is giving way. According to a new satellite-based study published May 8 in Nature Cities, every one of the 28 most populous U.S. cities is sinking to some degree, with many urban areas facing widespread land subsidence due to factors like groundwater depletion and oil and gas extraction. Cities affected include Chicago, Dallas, Columbus, Detroit, Fort Worth, Denver, New York, Indianapolis, Houston, and Charlotte...and more.

The worst offender? Houston. The Texas city is sinking faster than any other in the nation, with more than 40% of its urban area dropping over 5 millimeters per year—and 12% sinking at double that rate. In some localized spots, researchers found ground sinking by as much as two inches annually.

“This is the first high-resolution, satellite-based measurement of land subsidence across the 28 most populous U.S. cities,” lead author Leonard Ohenhen of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory told USA Today. “It offers critical information for urban planning, infrastructure adaptation, and hazard preparedness.”

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Dallas and Fort Worth aren’t far behind Houston, suggesting that Texas is facing a particularly intense version of this “invisible threat,” as the researchers call it. Much of the problem stems from massive and ongoing groundwater withdrawal. When water is pulled from underground aquifers and not replenished, the earth compacts—and the land above it sinks.

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Subsidence isn’t just a geological curiosity. It’s a direct threat to urban infrastructure. Cracks in roads, buckling pavements, doors and windows that no longer shut properly, and warped foundations are all warning signs. Over time, the cumulative damage can compromise bridges, buildings, and entire neighborhoods.

Interestingly, three cities—San Jose, Memphis, and Jacksonville—showed signs of very slight uplift, but researchers caution that the effect is minimal and that those cities are still at risk.

With urban populations growing and water demands increasing, Ohenhen says now is the time to act: “As opposed to just saying it’s a problem, we can respond, address, mitigate, adapt.”