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Craven County, North Carolina

A shallow water table limits basements on 85% of Craven County's mapped land, a higher share than 93% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 9%.

49.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2,849 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 33% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

9%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

85%

high water table: limits basements

49%

in drought, October 13, 2026

33%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Craven County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)9.2%
High water table (limits basements)85.3%
Septic fields very limited86.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)10.3%
Mapped soil487,213 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Leaf9%n/a
Rains8%n/a
Pantego7%n/a
Goldsboro5%n/a
Croatan5%n/a
Lenoir4%n/a
Jones County: 95%Pamlico County: 55%Beaufort County: 83%Lenoir County: 88%Onslow County: 84%Carteret County: 45%Pitt County: 88%Greene County: 83%Craven County JonesPamlicoBeaufortLenoirOnslowCarteretPittGreeneCraven
Craven 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 NC049 (2025-09-02)

What the numbers mean here

On 85% of Craven 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: 40.80 in, 14.33 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 55.13 in.

USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

49.3% 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 22 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 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 worse49.3%
D2 severe or worse4.3%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

2,849 flood losses since 2016, $203.8 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 2,738. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 14% slabs, 52% crawl spaces, 31% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 36 in.

YearFlood losses
201665
20172
20182,738
201915
20204
20212
20227
20235
20249
20251
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202055.13 in
12 months to August 202640.80 in (-14.33)
202548.35 in (-6.78)
Wettest year since 18951908: 78.02 in
Driest year since 18951954: 37.61 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEW BERN CRAVEN CO AP (4 mi away)13.9

Homes

Housing units48,533
Median year built1989
Built before 198033%
Built 2000 or later35%
Owner-occupied68%
Median value, owner-occupied$231,600
Single-family detached68%

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
Jones County, NC 17 mi 6% 95%
Pamlico County, NC 24 mi 2% 55%
Beaufort County, NC 29 mi 7% 83%
Lenoir County, NC 32 mi 2% 88%
Onslow County, NC 34 mi 2% 84%
Carteret County, NC 36 mi 0% 45%
Pitt County, NC 37 mi 4% 88%
Greene County, NC 42 mi 0% 83%

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