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Hyde County, North Carolina

A shallow water table limits basements on 49% of Hyde County's mapped land, a higher share than 65% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 680 flood losses here since 2016, under 1% of them in buildings with basements. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

49%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

48%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Hyde County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.5%
High water table (limits basements)49.2%
Septic fields very limited44.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.8%
Mapped soil871,136 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Pungo9%n/a
Scuppernong6%n/a
Ponzer4%n/a
Belhaven4%n/a
Roper3%n/a
Machapunga2%n/a
Dare County: 28%Tyrrell County: 64%Pamlico County: 55%Washington County: 80%Beaufort County: 83%Carteret County: 45%Perquimans County: 72%Chowan County: 62%Hyde County DareTyrrellPamlicoWashingtonBeaufortCarteretPerquimansChowanHyde
Hyde 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 NC095 (2025-09-02)

What the numbers mean here

On 49% of Hyde 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: 44.25 in, 9.33 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.58 in.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 20 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 worse42.7%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

680 flood losses since 2016, $30.9 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 508. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 5% slabs, 9% crawl spaces, 86% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 48 in.

YearFlood losses
2016100
20173
201857
2019508
20201
20212
20221
20235
20242
20251
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202053.58 in
12 months to August 202644.25 in (-9.33)
202549.75 in (-3.83)
Wettest year since 18952003: 72.20 in
Driest year since 18952001: 35.93 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CEDAR IS (30 mi away)17.3

Homes

Housing units2,952
Median year built1981
Built before 198048%
Built 2000 or later26%
Owner-occupied72%
Median value, owner-occupied$124,000
Single-family detached72%

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
Dare County, NC 26 mi 0% 28%
Tyrrell County, NC 32 mi 0% 64%
Pamlico County, NC 34 mi 2% 55%
Washington County, NC 38 mi 3% 80%
Beaufort County, NC 39 mi 7% 83%
Carteret County, NC 43 mi 0% 45%
Perquimans County, NC 55 mi 0% 72%
Chowan County, NC 56 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