Los Angeles County Vulnerability Assessment

Los Angeles County is a highly complex and diverse area. As one of the nation’s largest and most populated counties, with 4,084 square miles and approximately 10 million residents, its geography, ecology, and communities are highly variable, as are its climate impacts and risks. The County is impacted by a variety of threats, such as bluff erosion, sea level rise, wildfire, saltwater intrusion, wave-driven run-up, earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well as concerns over water availability, water quality, and air quality. Similarly, Los Angeles County faces extreme variation in social and economic factors, including disparities in income, education, and employment opportunities. This study examined these complexities across the County to inform decision-making within the region.

NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) researchers, in partnership with USC Sea Grant, extended their Integrated Vulnerability Assessment Framework to this densely populated and highly urbanized region, coupled with further spatial and economic analyses. The Framework measures social, structural, and natural resource vulnerability and intersects those with coastal risks to identify areas of high vulnerability and high risk. Integration of a wide range of vulnerability and risk profiles enables users to more easily understand the complexities of overall vulnerability and risk within their region. In this process, local stakeholders identified climate risks such as coastal and stormwater flooding, erosion, and wildfire.

This work provides information to community members and decision-makers to better protect, plan for, and manage climate and coastal impacts within Los Angeles County and its local communities.