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Cabarrus County, North Carolina
A shallow water table limits basements on 22% of Cabarrus County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22%.
48% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 66 flood losses here since 2016, 6% of them in buildings with basements. 30% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1997.
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 Cabarrus County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 21.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 21.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 68.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 20.9% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.9% |
| Mapped soil | 233,312 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Enon | 15% | n/a |
| Cecil | 13% | 0% |
| Badin | 9% | n/a |
| Mecklenburg | 8% | n/a |
| Chewacla | 8% | n/a |
| Cullen | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC025 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and 21% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 48% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 22% of Cabarrus County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 22% of Cabarrus 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: 32.84 in, 12.60 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.44 in.
USDA rates 68% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
48% 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 35 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 48% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
66 flood losses since 2016, $1.2 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 38. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 6% basements, 6% slabs, 51% crawl spaces, 36% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 27 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 38 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 17 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.44 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.84 in (-12.60) |
| 2025 | 38.39 in (-7.05) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1908: 66.14 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1986: 29.17 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CONCORD (2 mi away) | 13.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 93,691 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 30% |
| Built 2000 or later | 46% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $354,800 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanly County, NC | 18 mi | 4% | 18% |
| Rowan County, NC | 18 mi | 17% | 15% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 19 mi | 16% | 16% |
| Union County, NC | 28 mi | 3% | 28% |
| Iredell County, NC | 34 mi | 1% | 9% |
| Davidson County, NC | 34 mi | 16% | 15% |
| Gaston County, NC | 36 mi | 3% | 10% |
| Montgomery County, NC | 36 mi | 4% | 19% |
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