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Currituck County, North Carolina

A shallow water table limits basements on 52% of Currituck County's mapped land, a higher share than 68% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.

45% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 802 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 16% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1998.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

52%

high water table: limits basements

45%

in drought, October 13, 2026

16%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Currituck County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.1%
High water table (limits basements)52.3%
Septic fields very limited56.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.2%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Mapped soil281,082 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Roanoke10%n/a
Currituck9%n/a
Dare5%n/a
Ponzer4%n/a
Dorovan4%n/a
Portsmouth3%n/a
Camden County: 74%Pasquotank County: 76%Virginia Beach city: 65%Chesapeake city: 88%Perquimans County: 72%Norfolk city: 28%Portsmouth city: 22%Tyrrell County: 64%Currituck County CamdenPasquotankVirginia Beach cityChesapeake cityPerquimansNorfolk cityPortsmouth cityTyrrellCurrituck
Currituck 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 NC053 (2025-09-02)

What the numbers mean here

On 52% of Currituck 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: 39.76 in, 9.06 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 48.82 in.

USDA rates 57% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

45% 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 worse45%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

802 flood losses since 2016, $9.9 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 537. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 11% slabs, 28% crawl spaces, 61% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 9 in.

YearFlood losses
2016537
20178
2018119
201963
202010
20218
202214
20233
202435
20253
2026 to date2

Rain

Average year, 1991-202048.82 in
12 months to August 202639.76 in (-9.06)
202544.80 in (-4.02)
Wettest year since 18951989: 63.97 in
Driest year since 18952001: 28.95 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ELIZABETH CITY (17 mi away)14.9

Homes

Housing units17,079
Median year built1998
Built before 198016%
Built 2000 or later46%
Owner-occupied87%
Median value, owner-occupied$378,800
Single-family detached87%

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
Camden County, NC 14 mi under 1% 74%
Pasquotank County, NC 21 mi 2% 76%
Virginia Beach city, VA 26 mi 0% 65%
Chesapeake city, VA 28 mi 0% 88%
Perquimans County, NC 31 mi 0% 72%
Norfolk city, VA 40 mi 2% 28%
Portsmouth city, VA 40 mi under 1% 22%
Tyrrell County, NC 40 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