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New Hanover County, North Carolina

A shallow water table limits basements on 68% of New Hanover County's mapped land, a higher share than 80% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6%.

7.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2,252 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 31% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

6%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

68%

high water table: limits basements

7%

in drought, October 13, 2026

31%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under New Hanover County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)6.4%
High water table (limits basements)68.3%
Septic fields very limited81.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.3%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)6.4%
Urban land, not rated4.8%
Mapped soil140,973 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Murville12%n/a
Leon9%n/a
Kureb6%n/a
Bohicket6%n/a
Dorovan6%n/a
Baymeade6%n/a
Pender County: 94%Brunswick County: 89%Columbus County: 95%Onslow County: 84%Bladen County: 88%Duplin County: 92%Sampson County: 80%Jones County: 95%New Hanover County PenderBrunswickColumbusOnslowBladenDuplinSampsonJonesNew Hanover
New Hanover 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 NC129 (2025-08-27)

What the numbers mean here

On 68% of New Hanover 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: 43.77 in, 14.18 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.95 in.

USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

7.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 30 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 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 worse7.1%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

2,252 flood losses since 2016, $52.5 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 1,635. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 24% slabs, 20% crawl spaces, 54% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 13 in.

YearFlood losses
201634
20174
20181,635
201927
202056
202132
202226
20237
2024426
20254
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202057.95 in
12 months to August 202643.77 in (-14.18)
202545.53 in (-12.42)
Wettest year since 18952018: 92.53 in
Driest year since 18952007: 32.05 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WILMINGTON INTL AP (6 mi away)17.8

Homes

Housing units120,050
Median year built1993
Built before 198031%
Built 2000 or later37%
Owner-occupied61%
Median value, owner-occupied$387,800
Single-family detached61%

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
Pender County, NC 23 mi 1% 94%
Brunswick County, NC 23 mi 3% 89%
Columbus County, NC 45 mi 6% 95%
Onslow County, NC 45 mi 2% 84%
Bladen County, NC 48 mi 1% 88%
Duplin County, NC 52 mi 0% 92%
Sampson County, NC 63 mi 0% 80%
Jones County, NC 65 mi 6% 95%

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