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Haywood County, North Carolina
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Haywood County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 70.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 427 flood losses here since 2016, 18% of them in buildings with basements. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Haywood County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.1% |
| Mapped soil | 356,988 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Edneyville | 9% | n/a |
| Plott | 8% | n/a |
| Saunook | 8% | n/a |
| Chestnut | 6% | n/a |
| Evard | 5% | 0% |
| Soco | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC606 (2025-08-27), TN640 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 44.51 in, 13.94 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 58.45 in.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Haywood County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
70.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 47 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 30 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 70.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
427 flood losses since 2016, $28.1 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 277. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 18% basements, 18% slabs, 45% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 28 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 121 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 277 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 58.45 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.51 in (-13.94) |
| 2025 | 47.22 in (-11.23) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 79.56 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1925: 35.70 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WAYNESVILLE 1 E (5 mi away) | 12 |
Homes
| Housing units | 35,560 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $279,200 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, NC | 21 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Buncombe County, NC | 26 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Transylvania County, NC | 26 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Cocke County, TN | 26 mi | 1% | 6% |
| Madison County, NC | 26 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Swain County, NC | 27 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Henderson County, NC | 32 mi | under 1% | 10% |
| Sevier County, TN | 34 mi | 0% | 7% |
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