Frederick County, Maryland
A shallow water table limits basements on 22% of Frederick County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.
86.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 76 flood losses here since 2016, 57% of them in buildings with basements. 35% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1991.
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 Frederick County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 21.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.8% |
| Mapped soil | 427,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Mt. Airy | 6% | n/a |
| Penn | 6% | n/a |
| Myersville | 5% | n/a |
| Highfield | 5% | n/a |
| Glenelg | 4% | 0% |
| Spoolsville | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MD021 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
On 22% of Frederick 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: 33.39 in, 11.17 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.56 in.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
86.1% 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 43 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 86.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
76 flood losses since 2016, $596,592 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 49. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 57% basements, 11% slabs, 9% crawl spaces, 23% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 10 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 49 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.56 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.39 in (-11.17) |
| 2025 | 33.04 in (-11.52) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 67.90 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 22.75 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at EMMITSBURG 2 SE (15 mi away) | 12.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 108,924 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 35% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $464,600 |
| Single-family detached | 60% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County, MD | 21 mi | 0% | 21% |
| Washington County, MD | 24 mi | 9% | 18% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 25 mi | 1% | 19% |
| Jefferson County, WV | 27 mi | 37% | 14% |
| Adams County, PA | 29 mi | under 1% | 45% |
| Howard County, MD | 29 mi | 1% | 24% |
| Loudoun County, VA | 30 mi | 8% | 31% |
| Berkeley County, WV | 34 mi | 8% | 21% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status