Cayuga County, New York
A shallow water table limits basements on 56% of Cayuga County's mapped land, a higher share than 71% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3%.
10.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 0% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 50 flood losses here since 2016, 58% of them in buildings with basements. 71% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1958.
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 Cayuga County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 56.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 67.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.9% |
| Mapped soil | 452,204 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Honeoye | 12% | n/a |
| Lima | 8% | n/a |
| Langford | 7% | n/a |
| Ontario | 5% | n/a |
| Cazenovia | 4% | n/a |
| Lansing | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NY011 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
On 56% of Cayuga 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: 41.85 in, 0.51 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 41.34 in.
USDA rates 68% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
10.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 22 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 64.8% of its area, on the October 28, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 75% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 10.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
50 flood losses since 2016, $587,901 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 23. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 58% basements, 12% slabs, 21% crawl spaces, 9% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 9.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 23 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 11 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 41.34 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 41.85 in (+0.51) |
| 2025 | 37.61 in (-3.73) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1972: 49.59 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 27.91 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at AURORA RSCH FARM (19 mi away) | 5.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 36,829 |
| Median year built | 1958 |
| Built before 1980 | 71% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $171,000 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onondaga County, NY | 19 mi | 1% | 46% |
| Seneca County, NY | 20 mi | 11% | 57% |
| Wayne County, NY | 28 mi | 1% | 56% |
| Oswego County, NY | 36 mi | 1% | 59% |
| Yates County, NY | 37 mi | 1% | 83% |
| Cortland County, NY | 38 mi | 0% | 62% |
| Ontario County, NY | 38 mi | 11% | 59% |
| Tompkins County, NY | 39 mi | under 1% | 70% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status