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Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut

A shallow water table limits basements on 40% of Capitol Planning Region's mapped land, a higher share than 58% of US counties and the 2nd highest of 9 Connecticut counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. 68% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1966.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

40%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

68%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Capitol Planning Region

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.1%
High water table (limits basements)39.9%
Septic fields very limited88.8%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.2%
Urban land, not rated6.0%
Mapped soil669,615 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Charlton7%n/a
Canton5%n/a
Wethersfield4%n/a
Woodbridge3%n/a
Chatfield3%n/a
Hinckley3%n/a
Hampden County: 33%Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region: 38%Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region: 52%Northwest Hills Planning Region: 40%Naugatuck Valley Planning Region: 37%Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region: 38%Hampshire County: 47%South Central Connecticut Planning Region: 23%Capitol Planning Region HampdenLower Connecticut River ValleyNortheastern ConnecticutNorthwest HillsNaugatuck ValleySoutheastern ConnecticutHampshireSouth Central ConnecticutCapitol
Capitol Planning Region (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

On 40% of Capitol Planning Region's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 12 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, on the June 30, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood and rain records

FEMA's flood data and NOAA's county rainfall series still report Connecticut by its 8 former counties, which don't line up with the 9 planning regions that replaced them in 2022. This page leaves those numbers out rather than guess at a split.

Homes

Housing units416,559
Median year built1966
Built before 198068%
Built 2000 or later11%
Owner-occupied66%
Median value, owner-occupied$323,700
Single-family detached57%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Hampden County, MA 22 mi 0% 33%
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT 28 mi under 1% 38%
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT 31 mi 0% 52%
Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT 33 mi 0% 40%
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT 33 mi under 1% 37%
Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT 34 mi 0% 38%
Hampshire County, MA 36 mi under 1% 47%
South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 39 mi 0% 23%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status