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Ashe County, North Carolina
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Ashe County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 91 flood losses here since 2016, 15% of them in buildings with basements. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Ashe County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 96.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 272,743 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Edneyville | 20% | n/a |
| Evard | 19% | 0% |
| Watauga | 19% | n/a |
| Porters | 11% | n/a |
| Tusquitee | 6% | n/a |
| Clifton | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC009 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 41.56 in, 11.91 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.47 in.
USDA rates 97% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Ashe County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 weeks, most recently on the August 11, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 60.1% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
91 flood losses since 2016, $6.7 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 86. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 15% basements, 14% slabs, 22% crawl spaces, 49% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 52 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 86 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.47 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 41.56 in (-11.91) |
| 2025 | 42.78 in (-10.69) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 78.50 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1925: 33.11 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at JEFFERSON 2 E (4 mi away) | 13.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 17,218 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $243,100 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watauga County, NC | 19 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Johnson County, TN | 20 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Alleghany County, NC | 21 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Grayson County, VA | 21 mi | 1% | 6% |
| Wilkes County, NC | 25 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Smyth County, VA | 28 mi | 11% | 5% |
| Washington County, VA | 33 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Caldwell County, NC | 33 mi | 0% | 6% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status