Lee County, Florida
A shallow water table limits basements on 59% of Lee County's mapped land, a higher share than 73% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
8.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 13.6% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 39,266 flood losses here since 2016, under 1% of them in buildings with basements. 20% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1997.
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 Lee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 58.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 58.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.7% |
| Urban land, not rated | 14.0% |
| Mapped soil | 588,781 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Immokalee | 7% | n/a |
| Pineda | 6% | n/a |
| Oldsmar | 5% | n/a |
| Malabar | 4% | n/a |
| Matlacha | 4% | n/a |
| Pompano | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas FL071 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
On 59% of Lee 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: 41.47 in, 11.41 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 52.88 in.
USDA rates 59% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
8.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 49 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 weeks, most recently on the June 30, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 61.5% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 8.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
39,266 flood losses since 2016, $3.88 billion paid. The worst year was 2022, with 28,889. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 70% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 27% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 25 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 51 |
| 2017 | 2,560 |
| 2018 | 33 |
| 2019 | 19 |
| 2020 | 170 |
| 2021 | 37 |
| 2022 | 28,889 |
| 2023 | 150 |
| 2024 | 7,323 |
| 2025 | 26 |
| 2026 to date | 8 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 52.88 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 41.47 in (-11.41) |
| 2025 | 38.34 in (-14.54) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1947: 76.14 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1927: 32.64 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FT MYERS PAGE FLD AP (8 mi away) | 18.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 441,194 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 20% |
| Built 2000 or later | 45% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $362,200 |
| Single-family detached | 55% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte County, FL | 24 mi | 0% | 77% |
| DeSoto County, FL | 45 mi | under 1% | 99% |
| Collier County, FL | 50 mi | 0% | 82% |
| Hendry County, FL | 51 mi | 0% | 98% |
| Sarasota County, FL | 53 mi | 0% | 86% |
| Glades County, FL | 56 mi | 0% | 75% |
| Hardee County, FL | 65 mi | under 1% | 99% |
| Highlands County, FL | 67 mi | 0% | 80% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status