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Guilford County, North Carolina
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 35% of Guilford County's mapped land, a higher share than 84% of US counties and the 2nd highest of 100 North Carolina counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 9%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 185 flood losses here since 2016, 15% of them in buildings with basements. 41% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.
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 Guilford County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 35.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 63.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 27.8% |
| Urban land, not rated | 4.5% |
| Mapped soil | 420,697 acres |
How we count · survey areas NC081 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.2% by land area here, and 28% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 35% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 35% of Guilford County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 29.34 in, 16.14 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.48 in.
USDA rates 63% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% 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 46 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 55.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 32.5% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
185 flood losses since 2016, $4.3 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 61. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 15% basements, 24% slabs, 39% crawl spaces, 23% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 15 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 61 |
| 2019 | 57 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.48 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 29.34 in (-16.14) |
| 2025 | 45.61 in (+0.13) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 65.22 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1941: 30.17 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PIEDMONT TRIAD INTL AP (9 mi away) | 10.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 238,032 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 41% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 60% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $259,900 |
| Single-family detached | 62% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockingham County, NC | 21 mi | 2% | 9% |
| Alamance County, NC | 22 mi | 20% | 24% |
| Randolph County, NC | 26 mi | 14% | 13% |
| Forsyth County, NC | 26 mi | 2% | 11% |
| Davidson County, NC | 31 mi | 16% | 15% |
| Caswell County, NC | 33 mi | 35% | 21% |
| Stokes County, NC | 35 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Orange County, NC | 37 mi | 16% | 20% |
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