Levy County, Florida
A shallow water table limits basements on 65% of Levy County's mapped land, a higher share than 78% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 5%.
0.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 17.1% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 659 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 28% 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 Levy County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 65.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.2% |
| Mapped soil | 746,130 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Candler | 11% | n/a |
| Smyrna | 8% | n/a |
| Otela | 7% | n/a |
| Placid | 5% | n/a |
| Wekiva | 5% | n/a |
| Demory | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas FL075 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
On 65% of Levy 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: 36.74 in, 16.44 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.18 in.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 38 weeks, most recently on the August 11, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
659 flood losses since 2016, $47.1 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 312. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 49% slabs, 11% crawl spaces, 38% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 49 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 154 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 177 |
| 2024 | 312 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.18 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.74 in (-16.44) |
| 2025 | 47.99 in (-5.19) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1964: 79.66 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1931: 34.08 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at USHER TWR (9 mi away) | 18.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 21,472 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 28% |
| Built 2000 or later | 34% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $190,600 |
| Single-family detached | 50% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilchrist County, FL | 30 mi | under 1% | 38% |
| Dixie County, FL | 31 mi | 0% | 87% |
| Citrus County, FL | 32 mi | under 1% | 39% |
| Alachua County, FL | 40 mi | 3% | 50% |
| Marion County, FL | 48 mi | 5% | 35% |
| Hernando County, FL | 53 mi | 4% | 50% |
| Lafayette County, FL | 54 mi | 0% | 85% |
| Sumter County, FL | 60 mi | 2% | 77% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status