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Vance County, North Carolina

USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 6% of Vance County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 10%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.

FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 47% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

6%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

10%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

47%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Vance County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)6.3%
High water table (limits basements)9.6%
Septic fields very limited37.0%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)6.5%
Mapped soil172,025 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Appling24%0%
Cecil16%0%
Wedowee14%n/a
Vance6%n/a
Wateree5%n/a
Wilkes3%n/a
Granville County: 26%Warren County: 5%Franklin County: 8%Mecklenburg County: 10%Person County: 18%Durham County: 43%Nash County: 1%Halifax County: 14%Vance County GranvilleWarrenFranklinMecklenburgPersonDurhamNashHalifaxVance
Vance County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas NC181 (2025-08-27)

What the numbers mean here

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 30.16 in, 16.18 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.34 in.

With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on 10% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Vance County; conditions still vary lot by lot.

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 46 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 worse62.8%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

3 flood losses since 2016, $35,214 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 2.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20191
20202
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202046.34 in
12 months to August 202630.16 in (-16.18)
202546.59 in (+0.25)
Wettest year since 18952020: 67.79 in
Driest year since 18951921: 31.63 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HENDERSON 2 NNW (1 mi away)13.1

Homes

Housing units19,489
Median year built1982
Built before 198047%
Built 2000 or later19%
Owner-occupied60%
Median value, owner-occupied$161,500
Single-family detached64%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Granville County, NC 15 mi 26% 35%
Warren County, NC 17 mi 5% 13%
Franklin County, NC 20 mi 8% 21%
Mecklenburg County, VA 22 mi 10% 18%
Person County, NC 32 mi 18% 29%
Durham County, NC 35 mi 43% 56%
Nash County, NC 36 mi 1% 64%
Halifax County, VA 41 mi 14% 21%

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