Twice as Fast
Coastal lands are changing at a faster pace than the rest of the U.S. Approximately 41.6 million acres—an area slightly larger than Florida—underwent some sort of change. Coastal land cover change happens at a rate of change that is twice that of the rest of the country.
Over one-third of the state of Delaware (almost 1,000 square miles) is agricultural land. That’s an area equal to about half the Grand Canyon.
Louisiana has over 11,000 square miles of wetlands within the coastal region. Louisiana experienced a loss of 309 square miles of wetlands (more than double the average for the nation). Impacts from Hurricane Katrina contributed significantly to the loss.
New Hampshire: Forests
In New Hampshire, forest represents the largest land cover class at 7,610 square miles (74 percent of the state).
Oregon: Undeveloped Land
Just slightly more than 1,000 square miles (3.11 percent) of this state’s coast is developed, which is less than one third the national average.
New Jersey: Development
Over 2,000 square miles, or 22 percent of this state, is developed. That is more than double the average for coastal states.
The coastal areas defined by the land cover data used to collect these facts include intertidal areas, wetlands, and adjacent upland areas for the coastal U.S.