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Essex County, Massachusetts
A shallow water table limits basements on 45% of Essex County's mapped land, a higher share than 62% of US counties and the 5th highest of 14 Massachusetts counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, after 14.9% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 784 flood losses here since 2016, 54% of them in buildings with basements. 69% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1960.
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 Essex County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 45.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 0.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 5.6% |
| Mapped soil | 350,403 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Canton | 6% | n/a |
| Paxton | 6% | n/a |
| Charlton | 5% | n/a |
| Hinckley | 5% | n/a |
| Freetown | 5% | n/a |
| Merrimac | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MA605 (2025-09-05), MA606 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
On 45% of Essex 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: 33.14 in, 14.24 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.38 in.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 51 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 99.6% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
784 flood losses since 2016, $20.9 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 426. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 54% basements, 25% slabs, 8% crawl spaces, 14% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 13 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 39 |
| 2018 | 426 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 15 |
| 2021 | 38 |
| 2022 | 44 |
| 2023 | 31 |
| 2024 | 165 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.38 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.14 in (-14.24) |
| 2025 | 37.24 in (-10.14) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2006: 62.71 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1965: 27.93 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MIDDLETON (9 mi away) | 12.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 329,776 |
| Median year built | 1960 |
| Built before 1980 | 69% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $619,100 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County, MA | 23 mi | 0% | 11% |
| Rockingham County, NH | 27 mi | under 1% | 48% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 29 mi | 0% | 41% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 36 mi | 0% | 34% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 46 mi | 0% | 51% |
| Strafford County, NH | 46 mi | 1% | 39% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 47 mi | 3% | 28% |
| York County, ME | 55 mi | 3% | 52% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status