Wayne County, New York
A shallow water table limits basements on 56% of Wayne County's mapped land, a higher share than 71% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.
6.2% 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 110 flood losses here since 2016, 12% of them in buildings with basements. 65% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1968.
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 Wayne County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 56.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.7% |
| Mapped soil | 392,200 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 15% | n/a |
| Hilton | 9% | n/a |
| Canandaigua | 4% | n/a |
| Palmyra | 4% | n/a |
| Williamson | 4% | n/a |
| Bombay | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NY117 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
On 56% of Wayne 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: 36.67 in, 0.28 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 36.95 in.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
6.2% 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 100% of its area, in 11 weeks, most recently on the December 30, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 72.3% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 6.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
110 flood losses since 2016, $2.0 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 62. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 12% basements, 15% slabs, 21% crawl spaces, 52% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 7.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 38 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 62 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 36.95 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.67 in (-0.28) |
| 2025 | 30.42 in (-6.53) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1972: 46.24 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1957: 25.82 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GENEVA RSCH FARM (24 mi away) | 5.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 42,570 |
| Median year built | 1968 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $170,000 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cayuga County, NY | 28 mi | 3% | 56% |
| Ontario County, NY | 28 mi | 11% | 59% |
| Seneca County, NY | 32 mi | 11% | 57% |
| Monroe County, NY | 33 mi | 6% | 55% |
| Yates County, NY | 40 mi | 1% | 83% |
| Oswego County, NY | 45 mi | 1% | 59% |
| Onondaga County, NY | 45 mi | 1% | 46% |
| Livingston County, NY | 50 mi | 24% | 78% |
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