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Watauga County, North Carolina
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Watauga County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, 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 250 flood losses here since 2016, 14% of them in buildings with basements. 36% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
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 Watauga County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 200,992 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Chestnut | 16% | n/a |
| Cullasaja | 15% | n/a |
| Porters | 10% | n/a |
| Ashe | 8% | n/a |
| Unaka | 7% | n/a |
| Saunook | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC189 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 42.50 in, 13.35 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 55.85 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 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Watauga 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 45 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 30 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 60.4% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
250 flood losses since 2016, $14.0 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 198. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 14% basements, 23% slabs, 37% crawl spaces, 26% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 30 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 14 |
| 2018 | 15 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 198 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 55.85 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.50 in (-13.35) |
| 2025 | 46.83 in (-9.02) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 81.33 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1925: 34.83 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BOONE 1 SE (5 mi away) | 15.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 33,355 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $358,900 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery County, NC | 16 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Johnson County, TN | 16 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Ashe County, NC | 19 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Carter County, TN | 22 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Caldwell County, NC | 23 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Mitchell County, NC | 29 mi | under 1% | 2% |
| Wilkes County, NC | 31 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Burke County, NC | 34 mi | 0% | 2% |
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