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Nash County, North Carolina

A shallow water table limits basements on 64% of Nash County's mapped land, a higher share than 77% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 206 flood losses here since 2016, 9% of them in buildings with basements. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1986.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

64%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

40%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Nash County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)1.3%
High water table (limits basements)63.7%
Septic fields very limited45.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)1.5%
Urban land, not rated1.3%
Mapped soil347,161 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Norfolk22%63%
Georgeville17%0%
Rains13%n/a
Wehadkee7%n/a
Wedowee5%n/a
Goldsboro5%n/a
Franklin County: 21%Wilson County: 86%Edgecombe County: 84%Halifax County: 73%Warren County: 13%Vance County: 10%Greene County: 83%Johnston County: 74%Nash County FranklinWilsonEdgecombeHalifaxWarrenVanceGreeneJohnstonNash
Nash 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 NC127 (2025-08-27)

What the numbers mean here

On 64% of Nash 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: 32.13 in, 15.15 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.28 in.

Drought

100% 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 50 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 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 worse100%
D2 severe or worse44.4%
D3 extreme or worse2.7%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

206 flood losses since 2016, $6.3 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 137. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 9% basements, 20% slabs, 33% crawl spaces, 38% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 18.5 in.

YearFlood losses
2016137
20177
20187
20190
202043
20210
20220
20232
20248
20252
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202047.28 in
12 months to August 202632.13 in (-15.15)
202541.20 in (-6.08)
Wettest year since 18952020: 68.77 in
Driest year since 18952007: 30.84 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROCKY MT (10 mi away)12.5

Homes

Housing units43,797
Median year built1986
Built before 198040%
Built 2000 or later24%
Owner-occupied64%
Median value, owner-occupied$191,000
Single-family detached67%

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
Franklin County, NC 19 mi 8% 21%
Wilson County, NC 19 mi under 1% 86%
Edgecombe County, NC 22 mi 1% 84%
Halifax County, NC 27 mi 1% 73%
Warren County, NC 31 mi 5% 13%
Vance County, NC 36 mi 6% 10%
Greene County, NC 38 mi 0% 83%
Johnston County, NC 38 mi 1% 74%

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