Another NYC earthquake could have significant economic damage on city, report shows
- Alexangel Ventura
- Aug 11, 2025
- 2 min read
If a large magnitude earthquake strikes New York City, multiple billions of dollars in damages and thousands of displaced residents could be the effect, having significant repercussions in the economic vitality and future of the largest financial capital of the United States, according to a new report.
An analysis released by the municipal administration of New York City found that an earthquake measuring just 5.2 on the Richter scale could quickly lead to roughly $4.7 billion in damages, 100 "completely damaged" structures/buildings, and about 2,000 people displaced from their homes, according to the 2019 assessment for potential earthquakes in the city.
But why now is this data so important, almost six years later? On August 2nd, 2025, a magnitude 3.0 earthquake originally from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey (10 miles away from Midtown Manhattan) was felt all across the city at 10:18 PM EST and subsequent minutes. Similarly, just a few days later on August 5th, a second earthquake rattled the city, especially the Bronx, at 12:11 PM EST from Hillsdale, New Jersey. Last year in April 2024, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake was felt all over the Northeast with New York City being especially affected, but no significant damage being reported.
While earthquakes are uncommon in the New York City area, this recent surge in earthquakes has had both experts and civilians more concerned of future seismic activity. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, earthquakes capable of causing moderate to significant damage happen around twice per century in the Northeast, meaning that the Big Apple is in the danger zone for our century's earthquakes.
New York City did respond to threats of earthquake damage in the mid-1990s by introducing new standards for architectural design and planning by creating provisions for new construction meant to prevent building shakes during a possible earthquake. However, the majority of buildings in the city, which are pre-1990s, have not been updated to fit these new standards, leaving them potentially vulnerable to damage if even a moderate earthquake tests the city.
The city has had a history of damaging earthquakes, however. An 1884 earthquake in Brooklyn and Sandy Hook caused structural damage including broken windows and cracked chimneys across the city. In 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake from Virginia caused temporary evacuations and building damage across New York City.
Even worse, recent studies have found that underneath NYC exists an unknown fault line that increases its vulnerability to future earthquakes. Already, the city is located near the Ramapo Fault, which stretches 185 miles across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
beyond the $4.7 billion in damages estimated by the city in 2019, an earthquake could damage critical city infrastructure including bridges and highways and could target even worse underground facilities and structures like sewers and subways. Furthermore, the city's constant activity could be in danger to interruptions in business, leading to heavy short-term damages to economic stability similar to that of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
