Dallas-Fort Worth is sinking faster than any other inland U.S. city, study says
Dallas and Fort Worth are sinking at a faster rate than any other inland city in North America, according to a new study from Nature Cities, a monthly, online science journal that publishes research and opinion articles about cities and urban issues.
A group of researchers used satellite data to measure vertical displacement in 28 urban cities across the United States. The study, published May 8, found that Dallas and Fort Worth are sinking at a rate of about 4 millimeters per year, the second- and third- most of the 28 largest cities in the U.S. Only Houston (classified as a coastal city in the study) is sinking at a faster rate.
“Several cities in Texas—the fastest-growing state in the United States—including Houston, Fort Worth and Dallas, exhibit the highest measured subsidence rates among all cities, with average subsidence rates exceeding 4 mm per year,” the study found.
“Subsidence rate” refers to the gradual sinking of the earth’s surface. The study calls the phenomenon a “slow-moving hazard with adverse environmental and socioeconomic consequences worldwide.” It can cause increased flood risks, structural damage and transportation disruptions, according to the study.
What does this mean for Fort Worth?
“One of the most harmful yet less visible effects of urban land subsidence is the potential damage to buildings, foundations and infrastructure, primarily caused by differential land motion,” according to the study. “This risk is often exacerbated in rapidly expanding urban centers.”
More than 29,000 buildings across all the cities surveyed in the study are located in “high and very high damage risk areas,” according to the study. Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston have the highest proportion of sinking areas.
How did Nature Cities gather its findings?
Nature Cities researchers used satellite measurements from 2015 to 2021 to create high-resolution maps of subsidence rates for the 28 most populous U.S. cities by population as reported in the 2020 census. Read more about the study’s methodology here and see tables of the data here.
This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM.
