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Buncombe County, North Carolina
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Buncombe County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 0.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 681 flood losses here since 2016, 13% of them in buildings with basements. 37% 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 Buncombe County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 4.1% |
| Mapped soil | 422,483 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Evard | 13% | 0% |
| Clifton | 12% | n/a |
| Edneyville | 9% | n/a |
| Cowee | 8% | n/a |
| Tate | 7% | n/a |
| Toecane | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC021 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 38.85 in, 11.44 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.29 in.
USDA rates 91% 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 Buncombe County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 45 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 27 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 77.1% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
681 flood losses since 2016, $86.3 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 506. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 13% basements, 39% slabs, 20% crawl spaces, 27% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 40 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 38 |
| 2019 | 25 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 85 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 506 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.29 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.85 in (-11.44) |
| 2025 | 42.27 in (-8.02) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 72.35 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1925: 29.39 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ASHEVILLE (2 mi away) | 8.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 134,483 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 37% |
| Built 2000 or later | 36% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $391,800 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson County, NC | 19 mi | under 1% | 10% |
| Madison County, NC | 21 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Yancey County, NC | 23 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Haywood County, NC | 26 mi | 1% | 2% |
| McDowell County, NC | 28 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Polk County, NC | 31 mi | under 1% | 6% |
| Transylvania County, NC | 32 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Unicoi County, TN | 34 mi | 0% | 1% |
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