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Queen Anne's County, Maryland

A shallow water table limits basements on 79% of Queen Anne's County's mapped land, a higher share than 88% of US counties and the 4th highest of 24 Maryland counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 99 flood losses here since 2016, 3% of them in buildings with basements. 33% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

79%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

33%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Queen Anne's County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)under 0.1%
High water table (limits basements)78.8%
Septic fields very limited91.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.8%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Mapped soil246,004 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Ingleside15%n/a
Pineyneck7%n/a
Unicorn6%n/a
Carmichael6%n/a
Hurlock6%n/a
Whitemarsh6%n/a
Kent County: 54%Caroline County: 86%Talbot County: 65%Anne Arundel County: 46%Kent County: 77%Baltimore city: 18%Harford County: 29%Cecil County: 38%Queen Anne's County KentCarolineTalbotAnne ArundelKentBaltimore cityHarfordCecilQueen Anne's
Queen Anne'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 MD035 (2025-09-09)

What the numbers mean here

On 79% of Queen Anne'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: 30.64 in, 13.95 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.59 in.

USDA rates 92% 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 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 17 weeks, most recently on the August 18, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse95.8%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

99 flood losses since 2016, $1.4 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 31. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 3% basements, 26% slabs, 58% crawl spaces, 14% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 13 in.

YearFlood losses
20163
20170
20185
20197
202023
202123
20222
20232
202431
20253
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202044.59 in
12 months to August 202630.64 in (-13.95)
202537.29 in (-7.30)
Wettest year since 18952003: 62.33 in
Driest year since 18951930: 24.39 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROYAL OAK 2 SSW (24 mi away)13

Homes

Housing units22,038
Median year built1990
Built before 198033%
Built 2000 or later32%
Owner-occupied83%
Median value, owner-occupied$462,700
Single-family detached81%

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
Kent County, MD 14 mi 0% 54%
Caroline County, MD 18 mi 0% 86%
Talbot County, MD 21 mi 0% 65%
Anne Arundel County, MD 26 mi 0% 46%
Kent County, DE 31 mi 0% 77%
Baltimore city, MD 33 mi 5% 18%
Harford County, MD 36 mi 5% 29%
Cecil County, MD 36 mi 2% 38%

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