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Atlantic County, New Jersey

A shallow water table limits basements on 60% of Atlantic County's mapped land, a higher share than 74% of US counties and the 3rd highest of 21 New Jersey counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 531 flood losses here since 2016, 14% of them in buildings with basements. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

60%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

53%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Atlantic County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)59.5%
Septic fields very limited89.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)under 0.1%
Mapped soil392,372 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Downer14%n/a
Transquaking10%n/a
Atsion9%n/a
Mullica7%n/a
Galloway6%n/a
Hammonton6%n/a
Cumberland County: 50%Burlington County: 61%Cape May County: 67%Camden County: 44%Gloucester County: 34%Ocean County: 57%Salem County: 54%Philadelphia County: 5%Atlantic County CumberlandBurlingtonCape MayCamdenGloucesterOceanSalemPhiladelphiaAtlantic
Atlantic 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 NJ001 (2025-08-28)

What the numbers mean here

On 60% of Atlantic 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: 38.88 in, 7.93 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.81 in.

USDA rates 90% 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 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 16 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse94.4%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

531 flood losses since 2016, $10.5 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 164. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 14% basements, 31% slabs, 42% crawl spaces, 13% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 11 in.

YearFlood losses
2016164
201729
2018120
201929
202030
202125
202236
202318
202422
202553
2026 to date5

Rain

Average year, 1991-202046.81 in
12 months to August 202638.88 in (-7.93)
202540.56 in (-6.25)
Wettest year since 18952018: 65.55 in
Driest year since 18951965: 28.24 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ATLANTIC CITY INTL AP (4 mi away)12.6

Homes

Housing units132,199
Median year built1978
Built before 198053%
Built 2000 or later21%
Owner-occupied69%
Median value, owner-occupied$295,000
Single-family detached58%

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
Cumberland County, NJ 28 mi 0% 50%
Burlington County, NJ 28 mi 1% 61%
Cape May County, NJ 29 mi 0% 67%
Camden County, NJ 29 mi under 1% 44%
Gloucester County, NJ 32 mi 2% 34%
Ocean County, NJ 34 mi under 1% 57%
Salem County, NJ 39 mi 2% 54%
Philadelphia County, PA 46 mi 0% 5%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status