Warren County, New York
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Warren County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 15%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 18 flood losses here since 2016. 59% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Warren County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 52.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 598,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Bice | 26% | n/a |
| Hermon | 10% | n/a |
| Marlow | 8% | n/a |
| Woodstock | 7% | n/a |
| Hinckley | 5% | n/a |
| Lyme | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NY113 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 40.01 in, 5.48 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.49 in.
USDA rates 53% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 15% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Warren County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 4 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 77.3% of its area, on the October 21, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 39.6% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
18 flood losses since 2016, $490,971 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 8.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.49 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.01 in (-5.48) |
| 2025 | 41.43 in (-4.06) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 59.10 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 30.61 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at N CREEK 5 SE (8 mi away) | 9.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 40,342 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 59% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $267,400 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NY | 26 mi | 12% | 34% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 31 mi | 0% | 37% |
| Hamilton County, NY | 34 mi | 0% | 41% |
| Essex County, NY | 38 mi | 3% | 31% |
| Rutland County, VT | 39 mi | 2% | 37% |
| Fulton County, NY | 43 mi | 0% | 47% |
| Addison County, VT | 48 mi | 5% | 53% |
| Herkimer County, NY | 50 mi | under 1% | 45% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status