Kent County, Delaware
A shallow water table limits basements on 77% of Kent County's mapped land, a higher share than 87% of US counties and the highest of 3 Delaware counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
23.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 54 flood losses here since 2016, 35% of them in buildings with basements. 35% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Kent County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 77.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.4% |
| Mapped soil | 337,786 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Fallsington | 16% | n/a |
| Woodstown | 8% | n/a |
| Hambrook | 8% | n/a |
| Corsica | 6% | n/a |
| Ingleside | 6% | n/a |
| Hammonton | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas DE001 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
On 77% of Kent County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 32.17 in, 13.06 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.23 in.
USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
23.9% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 17 weeks, most recently on the August 18, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 78.8% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 23.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
54 flood losses since 2016, $677,818 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 16. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 35% basements, 8% slabs, 38% crawl spaces, 19% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 11 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 16 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 13 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.23 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.17 in (-13.06) |
| 2025 | 38.61 in (-6.62) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 61.37 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1965: 26.24 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DOVER (3 mi away) | 12.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 76,325 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 35% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $316,600 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline County, MD | 24 mi | 0% | 86% |
| Cumberland County, NJ | 26 mi | 0% | 50% |
| Sussex County, DE | 31 mi | 0% | 61% |
| Queen Anne's County, MD | 31 mi | under 1% | 79% |
| Salem County, NJ | 34 mi | 2% | 54% |
| New Castle County, DE | 34 mi | 2% | 34% |
| Kent County, MD | 35 mi | 0% | 54% |
| Cape May County, NJ | 35 mi | 0% | 67% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status