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Lincoln County, North Carolina

USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Lincoln County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 9%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 23.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 43.3% a week earlier.

FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 29% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1994.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

9%

high water table: limits basements

23%

in drought, October 13, 2026

29%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Lincoln County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)1.3%
High water table (limits basements)8.6%
Septic fields very limited28.4%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)1.3%
Urban land, not rated1.0%
Mapped soil196,262 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Pacolet34%0%
Cecil29%0%
Lloyd9%n/a
Madison5%0%
Chewacla5%n/a
Georgeville4%0%
Catawba County: 0%Gaston County: 3%Cleveland County: 1%Mecklenburg County: 16%Iredell County: 1%Alexander County: 0%Burke County: 0%York County: 23%Lincoln County CatawbaGastonClevelandMecklenburgIredellAlexanderBurkeYorkLincoln
Lincoln County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas NC109 (2025-08-27)

What the numbers mean here

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.26 in, 13.56 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.82 in.

With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 9% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Lincoln County; conditions still vary lot by lot.

Drought

23.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 33 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse99.4%
D1 moderate drought or worse23.4%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

7 flood losses since 2016, $112,128 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 5.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20190
20205
20210
20220
20230
20241
20251
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202046.82 in
12 months to August 202633.26 in (-13.56)
202539.12 in (-7.70)
Wettest year since 18952020: 68.04 in
Driest year since 18952007: 29.08 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LINCOLNTON 4 W (6 mi away)14.7

Homes

Housing units39,504
Median year built1994
Built before 198029%
Built 2000 or later39%
Owner-occupied79%
Median value, owner-occupied$321,000
Single-family detached74%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Catawba County, NC 12 mi under 1% 9%
Gaston County, NC 14 mi 3% 10%
Cleveland County, NC 21 mi 1% 7%
Mecklenburg County, NC 28 mi 16% 16%
Iredell County, NC 30 mi 1% 9%
Alexander County, NC 30 mi 0% 5%
Burke County, NC 32 mi 0% 2%
York County, SC 36 mi 23% 23%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status