Palm Beach County, Florida
A shallow water table limits basements on 84% of Palm Beach County's mapped land, a higher share than 91% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
44.2% of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 98.9% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 1,175 flood losses here since 2016, 8% of them in buildings with basements. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1986.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Palm Beach County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 83.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.7% |
| Mapped soil | 1,386,339 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Terra Ceia | 15% | n/a |
| Pahokee | 13% | n/a |
| Riviera | 10% | n/a |
| Loxahatche | 9% | n/a |
| Lauderhill | 5% | n/a |
| Torry | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas FL611 (2025-08-29), FL615 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
On 84% of Palm Beach 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: 46.55 in, 10.68 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.23 in.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
44.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 14 weeks, most recently on the April 21, 2026 map.
| Category, September 22, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 44.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 14.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1,175 flood losses since 2016, $17.0 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 516. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 8% basements, 85% slabs, 1% crawl spaces, 7% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 6 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 116 |
| 2017 | 516 |
| 2018 | 54 |
| 2019 | 63 |
| 2020 | 131 |
| 2021 | 49 |
| 2022 | 63 |
| 2023 | 23 |
| 2024 | 51 |
| 2025 | 99 |
| 2026 to date | 10 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.23 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.55 in (-10.68) |
| 2025 | 42.38 in (-14.85) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1947: 90.70 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1989: 39.58 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LOXAHATCHEE NWR (18 mi away) | 19 |
Homes
| Housing units | 719,463 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $447,300 |
| Single-family detached | 46% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin County, FL | 30 mi | under 1% | 75% |
| Broward County, FL | 32 mi | under 1% | 83% |
| Hendry County, FL | 44 mi | 0% | 98% |
| Glades County, FL | 50 mi | 0% | 75% |
| St. Lucie County, FL | 51 mi | 0% | 89% |
| Okeechobee County, FL | 58 mi | 0% | 85% |
| Collier County, FL | 71 mi | 0% | 82% |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | 72 mi | 1% | 55% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status