While land sinking less than an inch per year might not seem like much on paper, small shifts in land can have big effects. Land shifts downward can impact the structural integrity of buildings, roads, bridges, and dams. A 2024 study found that regions of the Atlantic coast to be sinking by as much as five millimeters per year.

New data shows land is sinking in all major U.S. cities, with Houston hit hardest, and climate change and urban growth could worsen it.