HomeNorth CarolinaDavidson County
Davidson County, North Carolina
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16% of Davidson County's mapped land, a higher share than 65% of US counties and the 10th highest of 100 North Carolina counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 15%.
29.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 44 flood losses here since 2016, 20% of them in buildings with basements. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.
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 Davidson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 61.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 15.7% |
| Mapped soil | 362,611 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Pacolet | 13% | 0% |
| Badin | 12% | n/a |
| Enon | 10% | n/a |
| Georgeville | 9% | 0% |
| Cecil | 9% | 0% |
| Poindexter | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC057 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.2% by land area here, and 16% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 16% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 29.3% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 16% of Davidson County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 28.10 in, 16.89 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.99 in.
USDA rates 61% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
29.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 48 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 36 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 29.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
44 flood losses since 2016, $1.1 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 15. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 20% basements, 20% slabs, 40% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 24 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 15 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 15 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.99 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 28.10 in (-16.89) |
| 2025 | 37.51 in (-7.48) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2003: 63.22 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1986: 29.37 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LEXINGTON (5 mi away) | 13.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 76,396 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 43% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $219,100 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, NC | 20 mi | 17% | 15% |
| Davie County, NC | 21 mi | 15% | 13% |
| Randolph County, NC | 23 mi | 14% | 13% |
| Forsyth County, NC | 23 mi | 2% | 11% |
| Guilford County, NC | 31 mi | 35% | 9% |
| Stanly County, NC | 34 mi | 4% | 18% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 34 mi | 22% | 22% |
| Yadkin County, NC | 36 mi | 1% | 9% |
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