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McDowell County, North Carolina
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of McDowell County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 5%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 69 flood losses here since 2016, 6% of them in buildings with basements. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 McDowell County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.1% |
| Mapped soil | 283,450 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Evard | 22% | 0% |
| Hayesville | 13% | 0% |
| Chestnut | 12% | n/a |
| Cowee | 10% | n/a |
| Ashe | 7% | n/a |
| Edneyville | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC111 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 43.66 in, 12.89 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 56.55 in.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of McDowell County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0.1% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
69 flood losses since 2016, $8.0 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 55. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 6% basements, 41% slabs, 27% crawl spaces, 26% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 34 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 55 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 56.55 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.66 in (-12.89) |
| 2025 | 47.70 in (-8.85) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 91.62 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1925: 32.74 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MARION (2 mi away) | 17.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 21,575 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 43% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $171,100 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burke County, NC | 20 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Yancey County, NC | 20 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Rutherford County, NC | 21 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Mitchell County, NC | 24 mi | under 1% | 2% |
| Buncombe County, NC | 28 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Avery County, NC | 28 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Polk County, NC | 29 mi | under 1% | 6% |
| Henderson County, NC | 34 mi | under 1% | 10% |
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