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Camden County, North Carolina

A shallow water table limits basements on 74% of Camden County's mapped land, a higher share than 84% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.

3.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 109 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 21% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1999.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

74%

high water table: limits basements

4%

in drought, October 13, 2026

21%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Camden County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.4%
High water table (limits basements)74.2%
Septic fields very limited74.2%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.9%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.2%
Mapped soil203,770 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Dorovan12%n/a
Pungo11%n/a
Perquimans8%n/a
Belhaven8%n/a
Roanoke7%n/a
Tomotley6%n/a
Pasquotank County: 76%Currituck County: 52%Perquimans County: 72%Chesapeake city: 88%Chowan County: 62%Gates County: 93%Virginia Beach city: 65%Tyrrell County: 64%Camden County PasquotankCurrituckPerquimansChesapeake cityChowanGatesVirginia Beach cityTyrrellCamden
Camden 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 NC029 (2025-09-02)

What the numbers mean here

On 74% of Camden 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: 40.39 in, 8.87 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 49.26 in.

USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

3.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 24 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse3.7%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

109 flood losses since 2016, $1.8 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 81. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 22% slabs, 70% crawl spaces, 9% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 10 in.

YearFlood losses
201681
20171
20185
20193
202015
20210
20220
20231
20241
20251
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202049.26 in
12 months to August 202640.39 in (-8.87)
202545.03 in (-4.23)
Wettest year since 18951979: 64.41 in
Driest year since 18952001: 29.94 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ELIZABETH CITY (3 mi away)14.9

Homes

Housing units4,301
Median year built1999
Built before 198021%
Built 2000 or later48%
Owner-occupied82%
Median value, owner-occupied$337,100
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
Pasquotank County, NC 8 mi 2% 76%
Currituck County, NC 14 mi under 1% 52%
Perquimans County, NC 17 mi 0% 72%
Chesapeake city, VA 25 mi 0% 88%
Chowan County, NC 29 mi 0% 62%
Gates County, NC 31 mi under 1% 93%
Virginia Beach city, VA 31 mi 0% 65%
Tyrrell County, NC 33 mi 0% 64%

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