Queens County, New York
A shallow water table limits basements on 15% of Queens County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
None of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1,329 flood losses here since 2016, 69% of them in buildings with basements. 83% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1953.
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 Queens County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 15.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 0.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 54.7% |
| Mapped soil | 80,845 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Greenbelt | 10% | n/a |
| Laguardia | 4% | n/a |
| Nagunt | 3% | n/a |
| Flatbush | 3% | n/a |
| Bigapple | 2% | n/a |
| Ebbets | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NY081 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
On 15% of Queens 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: 41.99 in, 4.50 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.49 in.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 23 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, September 22, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0.4% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1,329 flood losses since 2016, $31.6 million paid. The worst year was 2022, with 454. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 69% basements, 15% slabs, 7% crawl spaces, 9% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 11 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 24 |
| 2017 | 16 |
| 2018 | 73 |
| 2019 | 16 |
| 2020 | 14 |
| 2021 | 308 |
| 2022 | 454 |
| 2023 | 273 |
| 2024 | 72 |
| 2025 | 28 |
| 2026 to date | 51 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 46.49 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 41.99 in (-4.50) |
| 2025 | 36.29 in (-10.20) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 65.05 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1965: 26.95 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEW YORK JFK INTL AP (4 mi away) | 11.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 910,206 |
| Median year built | 1953 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 45% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $723,800 |
| Single-family detached | 19% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings County, NY | 6 mi | 0% | 17% |
| New York County, NY | 11 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Bronx County, NY | 13 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Hudson County, NJ | 14 mi | 0% | 32% |
| Nassau County, NY | 14 mi | 0% | 18% |
| Richmond County, NY | 17 mi | 0% | 22% |
| Essex County, NJ | 23 mi | 0% | 22% |
| Bergen County, NJ | 24 mi | 0% | 26% |
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