HomeNew HampshireCheshire County

Cheshire County, New Hampshire

A shallow water table limits basements on 27% of Cheshire County's mapped land and the 9th highest of 10 New Hampshire counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 20 flood losses here since 2016. 61% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1972.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

4%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

27%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

61%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Cheshire County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)3.9%
High water table (limits basements)26.8%
Septic fields very limited82.4%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.2%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)3.9%
Mapped soil467,104 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Marlow11%n/a
Tunbridge11%n/a
Berkshire10%n/a
Lyman7%n/a
Monadnock7%n/a
Peru4%n/a
Windham County: 29%Hillsborough County: 28%Franklin County: 36%Sullivan County: 26%Merrimack County: 49%Bennington County: 32%Worcester County: 51%Hampshire County: 47%Cheshire County WindhamHillsboroughFranklinSullivanMerrimackBenningtonWorcesterHampshireCheshire
Cheshire 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 NH005 (2025-09-09)

What the numbers mean here

On 27% of Cheshire 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: 39.53 in, 7.93 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.46 in.

USDA rates 82% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

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 28 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the November 4, 2025 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse80.6%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

20 flood losses since 2016, $423,089 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 12.

YearFlood losses
20160
20172
20181
20191
20200
202112
20220
20234
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202047.46 in
12 months to August 202639.53 in (-7.93)
202540.08 in (-7.38)
Wettest year since 18952011: 60.70 in
Driest year since 18951965: 30.52 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at KEENE (4 mi away)11

Homes

Housing units35,899
Median year built1972
Built before 198061%
Built 2000 or later16%
Owner-occupied73%
Median value, owner-occupied$280,100
Single-family detached69%

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
Windham County, VT 24 mi 0% 29%
Hillsborough County, NH 27 mi 3% 28%
Franklin County, MA 29 mi 0% 36%
Sullivan County, NH 30 mi 2% 26%
Merrimack County, NH 39 mi 2% 49%
Bennington County, VT 44 mi 0% 32%
Worcester County, MA 45 mi under 1% 51%
Hampshire County, MA 46 mi under 1% 47%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status