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Prince George's County, Maryland

A shallow water table limits basements on 46% of Prince George's County's mapped land, a higher share than 63% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 439 flood losses here since 2016, 68% of them in buildings with basements. 54% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1977.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

46%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

54%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Prince George's County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.8%
High water table (limits basements)46.3%
Septic fields very limited73.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.1%
Urban land, not rated10.9%
Mapped soil316,577 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Marr9%n/a
Dodon7%n/a
Beltsville7%n/a
Croom5%n/a
Collington4%n/a
Christiana4%n/a
District of Columbia: 9%Alexandria city: 44%Arlington County: 3%Falls Church city: 13%Anne Arundel County: 46%Fairfax County: 33%Fairfax city: 10%Charles County: 61%Prince George's County District of ColumbiaAlexandria cityArlingtonFalls Church cityAnne ArundelFairfaxFairfax cityCharlesPrince George's
Prince George's County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas MD033 (2025-09-09)

What the numbers mean here

On 46% of Prince George's 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: 32.60 in, 12.61 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.21 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 36 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 31 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

439 flood losses since 2016, $3.5 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 163. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 68% basements, 12% slabs, 6% crawl spaces, 14% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 7.5 in.

YearFlood losses
201619
201726
201871
201951
2020163
202123
202241
202315
202411
202512
2026 to date7

Rain

Average year, 1991-202045.21 in
12 months to August 202632.60 in (-12.61)
202537.58 in (-7.63)
Wettest year since 18952018: 68.99 in
Driest year since 18951930: 20.64 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NATL ARBORETUM DC (9 mi away)11.4

Homes

Housing units365,506
Median year built1977
Built before 198054%
Built 2000 or later20%
Owner-occupied62%
Median value, owner-occupied$426,000
Single-family detached49%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
District of Columbia, DC 10 mi 0% 9%
Alexandria city, VA 13 mi 3% 44%
Arlington County, VA 14 mi 0% 3%
Falls Church city, VA 18 mi 0% 13%
Anne Arundel County, MD 19 mi 0% 46%
Fairfax County, VA 23 mi 6% 33%
Fairfax city, VA 24 mi 2% 10%
Charles County, MD 26 mi 4% 61%

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