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Caldwell County, North Carolina
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Caldwell County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, 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 36 flood losses here since 2016, 19% of them in buildings with basements. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Caldwell County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.7% |
| Mapped soil | 303,661 acres |
How we count · survey areas NC027 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 38.75 in, 14.13 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 52.88 in.
USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Caldwell 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 30 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0.1% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
36 flood losses since 2016, $1.1 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 13. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 19% basements, 19% slabs, 27% crawl spaces, 35% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 52.88 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.75 in (-14.13) |
| 2025 | 45.09 in (-7.79) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1901: 77.53 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1925: 32.38 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LENOIR (4 mi away) | 14.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 37,387 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $192,200 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burke County, NC | 19 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Alexander County, NC | 19 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Watauga County, NC | 23 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Avery County, NC | 24 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Wilkes County, NC | 26 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Catawba County, NC | 27 mi | under 1% | 9% |
| Ashe County, NC | 33 mi | 0% | 4% |
| McDowell County, NC | 36 mi | 0% | 5% |
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