New York County, New York
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of New York County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 188 flood losses here since 2016, 83% of them in buildings with basements. 78% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1951.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under New York County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 59.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 0.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 47.7% |
| Mapped soil | 21,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Greenbelt | 6% | n/a |
| Laguardia | 4% | n/a |
| Chatfield | 2% | n/a |
| Ebbets | 1% | n/a |
| Flatbush | 1% | n/a |
| Centralpark | 1% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NY061 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 42.87 in, 4.35 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.22 in.
USDA rates 59% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of New York County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 30 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, September 22, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
188 flood losses since 2016, $3.8 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 110. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 83% basements, 16% slabs, 1% crawl spaces, 1% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 7 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 16 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 110 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 35 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 to date | 9 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.22 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.87 in (-4.35) |
| 2025 | 37.30 in (-9.92) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 68.60 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1965: 29.01 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEW YORK CNTRL PK TWR (0 mi away) | 13.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 923,472 |
| Median year built | 1951 |
| Built before 1980 | 78% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 25% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $1.1 million |
| Single-family detached | 1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson County, NJ | 6 mi | 0% | 32% |
| Bronx County, NY | 8 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Kings County, NY | 10 mi | 0% | 17% |
| Queens County, NY | 11 mi | 0% | 15% |
| Bergen County, NJ | 14 mi | 0% | 26% |
| Essex County, NJ | 14 mi | 0% | 22% |
| Richmond County, NY | 17 mi | 0% | 22% |
| Union County, NJ | 19 mi | 0% | 42% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status