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Jackson County, North Carolina
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Jackson County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 3%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 98.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 49 flood losses here since 2016, 7% of them in buildings with basements. 32% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.
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 Jackson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 316,877 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Evard | 10% | 0% |
| Edneyville | 10% | n/a |
| Plott | 8% | n/a |
| Cullasaja | 8% | n/a |
| Chestnut | 7% | n/a |
| Cowee | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC099 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 47.15 in, 18.43 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 65.58 in.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Jackson County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
98.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 45 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 40 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 98.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
49 flood losses since 2016, $333,131 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 32. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 7% basements, 16% slabs, 28% crawl spaces, 49% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 19 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 32 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 65.58 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 47.15 in (-18.43) |
| 2025 | 51.23 in (-14.35) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 90.58 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1925: 39.19 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CULLOWHEE (3 mi away) | 14.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 27,803 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 32% |
| Built 2000 or later | 34% |
| Owner-occupied | 61% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $284,700 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transylvania County, NC | 18 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Macon County, NC | 19 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Haywood County, NC | 21 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Swain County, NC | 27 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Rabun County, GA | 32 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Pickens County, SC | 36 mi | under 1% | 7% |
| Henderson County, NC | 36 mi | under 1% | 10% |
| Oconee County, SC | 37 mi | under 1% | 5% |
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