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Martin County, North Carolina

A shallow water table limits basements on 96% of Martin County's mapped land, a higher share than 99% of US counties and the highest of 100 North Carolina counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.

79.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 10 flood losses here since 2016. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

96%

high water table: limits basements

79%

in drought, October 13, 2026

56%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Martin County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.1%
High water table (limits basements)96.2%
Septic fields very limited90.8%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.2%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.1%
Mapped soil299,687 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Rains19%n/a
Lynchburg14%n/a
Goldsboro9%n/a
Bethera8%n/a
Chastain8%n/a
Norfolk7%63%
Bertie County: 89%Pitt County: 88%Edgecombe County: 84%Beaufort County: 83%Washington County: 80%Chowan County: 62%Hertford County: 92%Greene County: 83%Martin County BertiePittEdgecombeBeaufortWashingtonChowanHertfordGreeneMartin
Martin 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 NC117 (2025-08-27)

What the numbers mean here

On 96% of Martin 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: 37.74 in, 13.49 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.23 in.

USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

79.4% 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 37 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 worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse79.4%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

10 flood losses since 2016, $327,305 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 9.

YearFlood losses
20169
20170
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20241
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202051.23 in
12 months to August 202637.74 in (-13.49)
202545.07 in (-6.16)
Wettest year since 18952016: 66.90 in
Driest year since 18952007: 35.91 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WILLIAMSTON 1 E (5 mi away)13.8

Homes

Housing units11,058
Median year built1975
Built before 198056%
Built 2000 or later19%
Owner-occupied67%
Median value, owner-occupied$109,700
Single-family detached68%

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
Bertie County, NC 17 mi 14% 89%
Pitt County, NC 23 mi 4% 88%
Edgecombe County, NC 27 mi 1% 84%
Beaufort County, NC 30 mi 7% 83%
Washington County, NC 31 mi 3% 80%
Chowan County, NC 35 mi 0% 62%
Hertford County, NC 36 mi 20% 92%
Greene County, NC 40 mi 0% 83%

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