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Dare County, North Carolina

A shallow water table limits basements on 28% of Dare County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.

1.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 3,343 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 24% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

28%

high water table: limits basements

2%

in drought, October 13, 2026

24%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Dare County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)28.3%
Septic fields very limited30.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.9%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.3%
Mapped soil800,602 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Pungo11%n/a
Belhaven5%n/a
Hyde3%n/a
Ponzer2%n/a
Roper1%n/a
Hobonny1%n/a
Hyde County: 49%Tyrrell County: 64%Washington County: 80%Pasquotank County: 76%Perquimans County: 72%Camden County: 74%Currituck County: 52%Chowan County: 62%Dare County HydeTyrrellWashingtonPasquotankPerquimansCamdenCurrituckChowanDare
Dare 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 NC055 (2025-09-02)

What the numbers mean here

On 28% of Dare 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: 45.85 in, 5.99 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.84 in.

Drought

1.9% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 22 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 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 worse1.9%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

3,343 flood losses since 2016, $62.6 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 1,414. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 6% slabs, 7% crawl spaces, 86% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 27 in.

YearFlood losses
20161,414
201735
2018539
2019656
2020120
202155
202291
202333
2024122
2025205
2026 to date73

Rain

Average year, 1991-202051.84 in
12 months to August 202645.85 in (-5.99)
202553.21 in (+1.37)
Wettest year since 18951989: 71.21 in
Driest year since 18952001: 30.01 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MANTEO AP (22 mi away)13

Homes

Housing units35,278
Median year built1988
Built before 198024%
Built 2000 or later26%
Owner-occupied78%
Median value, owner-occupied$460,400
Single-family detached80%

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
Hyde County, NC 26 mi 1% 49%
Tyrrell County, NC 29 mi 0% 64%
Washington County, NC 48 mi 3% 80%
Pasquotank County, NC 53 mi 2% 76%
Perquimans County, NC 53 mi 0% 72%
Camden County, NC 55 mi under 1% 74%
Currituck County, NC 56 mi under 1% 52%
Chowan County, NC 59 mi 0% 62%

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