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Juneau City and Borough, Alaska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Juneau City and Borough's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 10%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 40% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
None of the county is in drought on the November 3, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 74 flood losses here since 2016, 17% of them in buildings with basements. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, November 3, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Juneau City and Borough
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 49.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 684,986 acres |
How we count · survey areas AK646 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 172.02 in, 10.59 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 182.61 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 10% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Juneau City and Borough; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. No part of the county was in drought in the last 52 weeks.
| Category, November 3, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
74 flood losses since 2016, $4.6 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 34. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 17% basements, 12% slabs, 65% crawl spaces, 6% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 22.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2024 | 34 |
| 2025 | 16 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 182.61 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 172.02 in (-10.59) |
| 2025 | 190.92 in (+8.31) |
| Wettest year since 1925 | 1999: 255.64 in |
| Driest year since 1925 | 1950: 117.98 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at JUNEAU INTL AP (14 mi away) | 11.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 14,249 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $449,300 |
| Single-family detached | 47% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK | 62 mi | 0% | 21% |
| Haines Borough, AK | 71 mi | 0% | 25% |
| Sitka City and Borough, AK | 93 mi | n/a | n/a |
| Petersburg Borough, AK | 93 mi | n/a | n/a |
| Skagway Municipality, AK | 96 mi | 0% | 27% |
| Wrangell City and Borough, AK | 171 mi | 0% | 37% |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AK | 190 mi | 0% | 35% |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK | 239 mi | 0% | 47% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status