Steuben County, New York
A shallow water table limits basements on 63% of Steuben County's mapped land, a higher share than 76% of US 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 45 flood losses here since 2016, 75% of them in buildings with basements. 68% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1963.
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 Steuben County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 62.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 898,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Volusia | 20% | over 99% |
| Mardin | 19% | n/a |
| Lordstown | 11% | n/a |
| Arnot | 7% | n/a |
| Bath | 4% | n/a |
| Howard | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NY101 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
On 63% of Steuben 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: 36.48 in, 0.45 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 36.93 in.
USDA rates 94% 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 20 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 84.6% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the October 28, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 40.7% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
45 flood losses since 2016, $817,245 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 17. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 75% basements, 5% slabs, 10% crawl spaces, 10% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 11.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 17 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 12 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 36.93 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.48 in (-0.45) |
| 2025 | 32.80 in (-4.13) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 47.18 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 25.80 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HORNELL ALMOND DAM (17 mi away) | 6.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 47,665 |
| Median year built | 1963 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $137,900 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schuyler County, NY | 25 mi | 2% | 62% |
| Yates County, NY | 29 mi | 1% | 83% |
| Allegany County, NY | 33 mi | 0% | 80% |
| Chemung County, NY | 33 mi | 0% | 49% |
| Tioga County, PA | 35 mi | 0% | 49% |
| Livingston County, NY | 38 mi | 24% | 78% |
| Ontario County, NY | 41 mi | 11% | 59% |
| Potter County, PA | 44 mi | 0% | 37% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status