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Massachusetts soil by county

Across Massachusetts's mapped land, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1% and a shallow water table limits basements on 41%.

Highest clay shares: Worcester County (under 1%), Hampshire County (under 1%), Barnstable County (0%), Berkshire County (0%), Bristol County (0%). Highest water-table shares: Bristol County (63%), Plymouth County (51%), Worcester County (51%), Hampshire County (47%), Essex County (45%).

Data as of September 22, 2026 · 14 counties

Barnstable County: 0%Berkshire County: 0%Bristol County: 0%Dukes County: 0%Essex County: 0%Franklin County: 0%Hampden County: 0%Hampshire County: 0%Middlesex County: 0%Nantucket County: 0%Norfolk County: 0%Plymouth County: 0%Suffolk County: 0%Worcester County: 0%
Expansive clay: share of mapped land where shrink-swell clay limits houses without basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+
Barnstable County: 19%Berkshire County: 33%Bristol County: 63%Dukes County: 17%Essex County: 45%Franklin County: 36%Hampden County: 33%Hampshire County: 47%Middlesex County: 41%Nantucket County: 16%Norfolk County: 34%Plymouth County: 51%Suffolk County: 11%Worcester County: 51%
High water table: share of mapped land where a shallow water table limits basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

Every county in Massachusetts

Select a column heading to sort.
Barnstable County 0% 19% 84% 537 1977
Berkshire County 0% 33% 0% 17 1956
Bristol County 0% 63% 14% 121 1964
Dukes County 0% 17% 100% 13 1982
Essex County 0% 45% 43% 784 1960
Franklin County 0% 36% 0% 7 1962
Hampden County 0% 33% 0% 19 1959
Hampshire County under 1% 47% 0% 24 1969
Middlesex County 0% 41% 31% 186 1962
Nantucket County 0% 16% 100% 58 1984
Norfolk County 0% 34% 0% 454 1964
Plymouth County 0% 51% 36% 875 1971
Suffolk County 0% 11% 0% 284 1949
Worcester County under 1% 51% 0% 101 1967

How these shares are counted

Shares are of mapped land in USDA's soil survey (SSURGO), weighted by each soil's share of every map unit. Drought is the US Drought Monitor's D1-or-worse share on the September 22, 2026 map. Flood losses are FEMA NFIP records since 2016. Sources and methods.