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Transylvania County, North Carolina
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Transylvania County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 65.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 82.1% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 81 flood losses here since 2016, 10% of them in buildings with basements. 42% 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 Transylvania County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 243,283 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Edneyville | 13% | n/a |
| Ashe | 13% | n/a |
| Chestnut | 12% | n/a |
| Evard | 9% | 0% |
| Saunook | 6% | n/a |
| Cullasaja | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC175 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.76 in, 26.03 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 72.79 in.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Transylvania County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
65.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 45 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 40 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 95.2% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 65.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
81 flood losses since 2016, $5.8 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 62. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 10% basements, 16% slabs, 53% crawl spaces, 21% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 35 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 62 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 72.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.76 in (-26.03) |
| 2025 | 52.86 in (-19.93) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 105.49 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1925: 39.68 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROSMAN (5 mi away) | 24.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 19,266 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $373,600 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, NC | 18 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Henderson County, NC | 21 mi | under 1% | 10% |
| Pickens County, SC | 23 mi | under 1% | 7% |
| Haywood County, NC | 26 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Buncombe County, NC | 32 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Greenville County, SC | 33 mi | under 1% | 11% |
| Macon County, NC | 34 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Oconee County, SC | 35 mi | under 1% | 5% |
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