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Hillsborough County, Florida

A shallow water table limits basements on 78% of Hillsborough County's mapped land, a higher share than 88% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

100% of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 11,560 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 30% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1991.

Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

78%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, September 22, 2026

30%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Hillsborough County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.8%
High water table (limits basements)78.4%
Septic fields very limited90.2%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.9%
Urban land, not rated3.1%
Mapped soil688,845 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Myakka23%100%
Zolfo6%n/a
Basinger5%n/a
Winder5%n/a
Candler4%n/a
Malabar4%n/a
Pinellas County: 38%Manatee County: 90%Pasco County: 68%Polk County: 68%Hardee County: 99%Sarasota County: 86%Hernando County: 50%Sumter County: 77%Hillsborough County PinellasManateePascoPolkHardeeSarasotaHernandoSumterHillsborough
Hillsborough County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas FL057 (2025-08-28)

What the numbers mean here

On 78% of Hillsborough 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: 39.38 in, 14.20 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.58 in.

USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 47 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 40 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.

September 30, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklySeptember 22, 2026
Category, September 22, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse100%
D2 severe or worse66.9%
D3 extreme or worse21.5%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

11,560 flood losses since 2016, $1.11 billion paid. The worst year was 2024, with 10,269. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 82% slabs, 7% crawl spaces, 11% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 18 in.

YearFlood losses
201698
2017357
201843
201948
2020200
202167
2022112
2023324
202410,269
202531
2026 to date11

Rain

Average year, 1991-202053.58 in
12 months to August 202639.38 in (-14.20)
202542.00 in (-11.58)
Wettest year since 18951959: 79.18 in
Driest year since 18952000: 37.18 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TAMPA INTL AP (11 mi away)15

Homes

Housing units630,692
Median year built1991
Built before 198030%
Built 2000 or later38%
Owner-occupied62%
Median value, owner-occupied$371,500
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
Pinellas County, FL 26 mi 0% 38%
Manatee County, FL 29 mi under 1% 90%
Pasco County, FL 29 mi 1% 68%
Polk County, FL 42 mi 6% 68%
Hardee County, FL 44 mi under 1% 99%
Sarasota County, FL 46 mi 0% 86%
Hernando County, FL 47 mi 4% 50%
Sumter County, FL 60 mi 2% 77%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status