Zillow Deleting Home Climate Risk Scores Reveals Limits of Data

When Zillow Group Inc. removed climate risk scores from its home listings last month, following a complaint from the real estate industry, many observers took to the press and social media to warn that disappearing the data doesn’t get rid of the risk.

In a world assailed by extreme weather, homeowners and purchasers need to know their property’s vulnerability to wildfire or flooding. Ratings like those Zillow took down — which use the latest science, advanced computing and satellite imagery — are a big improvement on often outdated federal flood maps and state wildfire maps.

Floodwater surrounds a home in Paducah, Kentucky, after storms plagued the region in April 2025.

Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images North America

But they’re far from perfect, a growing ...