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Pennsylvania soil by county

Across Pennsylvania's mapped land, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1% and a shallow water table limits basements on 44%.

Highest clay shares: Allegheny County (10%), Washington County (7%), Greene County (6%), Beaver County (6%), Westmoreland County (5%). Highest water-table shares: Mercer County (87%), Crawford County (85%), Erie County (82%), Venango County (73%), Susquehanna County (69%).

Data as of November 3, 2026 · 67 counties

Adams County: 0%Allegheny County: 10%Armstrong County: 1%Beaver County: 6%Bedford County: 3%Berks County: 0%Blair County: 2%Bradford County: 0%Bucks County: 0%Butler County: 1%Cambria County: 0%Cameron County: 0%Carbon County: 0%Centre County: 4%Chester County: 0%Clarion County: 0%Clearfield County: 0%Clinton County: 1%Columbia County: 0%Crawford County: 0%Cumberland County: 1%Dauphin County: 0%Delaware County: 0%Elk County: 0%Erie County: 0%Fayette County: 2%Forest County: 0%Franklin County: 4%Fulton County: 1%Greene County: 6%Huntingdon County: 2%Indiana County: 1%Jefferson County: 0%Juniata County: 1%Lackawanna County: 0%Lancaster County: 0%Lawrence County: 1%Lebanon County: 1%Lehigh County: 0%Luzerne County: 0%Lycoming County: 0%McKean County: 0%Mercer County: 0%Mifflin County: 3%Monroe County: 0%Montgomery County: 0%Montour County: 1%Northampton County: 0%Northumberland County: 0%Perry County: 0%Philadelphia County: 0%Pike County: 0%Potter County: 0%Schuylkill County: 0%Snyder County: 1%Somerset County: 0%Sullivan County: 0%Susquehanna County: 0%Tioga County: 0%Union County: 1%Venango County: 0%Warren County: 0%Washington County: 7%Wayne County: 0%Westmoreland County: 5%Wyoming County: 0%York County: 0%
Expansive clay: share of mapped land where shrink-swell clay limits houses without basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+
Adams County: 45%Allegheny County: 31%Armstrong County: 33%Beaver County: 35%Bedford County: 36%Berks County: 27%Blair County: 42%Bradford County: 68%Bucks County: 52%Butler County: 53%Cambria County: 60%Cameron County: 24%Carbon County: 35%Centre County: 31%Chester County: 21%Clarion County: 50%Clearfield County: 37%Clinton County: 35%Columbia County: 20%Crawford County: 85%Cumberland County: 23%Dauphin County: 21%Delaware County: 22%Elk County: 52%Erie County: 82%Fayette County: 49%Forest County: 59%Franklin County: 32%Fulton County: 30%Greene County: 59%Huntingdon County: 31%Indiana County: 37%Jefferson County: 42%Juniata County: 33%Lackawanna County: 53%Lancaster County: 18%Lawrence County: 67%Lebanon County: 30%Lehigh County: 22%Luzerne County: 45%Lycoming County: 19%McKean County: 54%Mercer County: 87%Mifflin County: 34%Monroe County: 60%Montgomery County: 44%Montour County: 36%Northampton County: 30%Northumberland County: 27%Perry County: 29%Philadelphia County: 5%Pike County: 64%Potter County: 37%Schuylkill County: 30%Snyder County: 28%Somerset County: 39%Sullivan County: 53%Susquehanna County: 69%Tioga County: 49%Union County: 38%Venango County: 73%Warren County: 67%Washington County: 51%Wayne County: 64%Westmoreland County: 48%Wyoming County: 58%York County: 20%
High water table: share of mapped land where a shallow water table limits basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

Drought in Pennsylvania this month

On the US Drought Monitor map of November 3, 2026, 0.6% of Pennsylvania's land is in drought (D1 or worse), down from 0.9% four weeks earlier (October 6, 2026). A year earlier (November 4, 2025), the share was 21.6%.

In 2 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, some land is in drought on that map; the largest share is in Franklin County (28.4%). The foundation drought watch tracks the same share every week for the US counties on expansive clay.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor county statistics (National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA and NOAA), map of November 3, 2026, read November 5, 2026. Each county's share is weighted by its land area.

Every county in Pennsylvania

Select a column heading to sort.
Adams County under 1% 45% 12% 41 1980
Allegheny County 10% 31% 0% 847 1957
Armstrong County 1% 33% 0% 51 1959
Beaver County 6% 35% 0% 133 1957
Bedford County 3% 36% 0% 98 1971
Berks County 0% 27% 0% 307 1969
Blair County 2% 42% 0% 122 1957
Bradford County 0% 68% 0% 109 1969
Bucks County under 1% 52% 0% 573 1975
Butler County 1% 53% 0% 194 1980
Cambria County 0% 60% 0% 46 1956
Cameron County 0% 24% 0% 2 1959
Carbon County 0% 35% 0% 10 1972
Centre County 4% 31% 0% 40 1980
Chester County under 1% 21% 0% 377 1983
Clarion County under 1% 50% 0% 9 1967
Clearfield County 0% 37% 0% 52 1970
Clinton County 1% 35% 0% 46 1967
Columbia County 0% 20% 0% 150 1970
Crawford County 0% 85% 0% 37 1966
Cumberland County 1% 23% 0% 42 1978
Dauphin County under 1% 21% 0% 218 1972
Delaware County under 1% 22% 0% 462 1957
Elk County 0% 52% 0% 27 1961
Erie County 0% 82% 0% 74 1964
Fayette County 2% 49% 0% 143 1959
Forest County 0% 59% 0% 3 1970
Franklin County 4% 32% 28% 14 1978
Fulton County 1% 30% 0% 2 1976
Greene County 6% 59% 0% 44 1960
Huntingdon County 2% 31% 0% 45 1972
Indiana County 1% 37% 0% 105 1970
Jefferson County under 1% 42% 0% 6 1961
Juniata County 1% 33% 0% 10 1973
Lackawanna County 0% 53% 0% 97 1955
Lancaster County under 1% 18% 0% 196 1978
Lawrence County 1% 67% 0% 22 1957
Lebanon County 1% 30% 0% 63 1972
Lehigh County 0% 22% 0% 152 1968
Luzerne County 0% 45% 0% 117 1960
Lycoming County under 1% 19% 0% 174 1963
McKean County 0% 54% 0% 3 1953
Mercer County 0% 87% 0% 15 1963
Mifflin County 3% 34% 0% 11 1960
Monroe County 0% 60% 0% 78 1984
Montgomery County under 1% 44% 0% 1,137 1971
Montour County 1% 36% 0% 7 1976
Northampton County 0% 30% 0% 168 1971
Northumberland County under 1% 27% 0% 19 1954
Perry County under 1% 29% 0% 18 1976
Philadelphia County 0% 5% 0% 467 1949
Pike County 0% 64% 0% 6 1985
Potter County 0% 37% 0% 24 1969
Schuylkill County 0% 30% 0% 186 1946
Snyder County 1% 28% 0% 11 1973
Somerset County 0% 39% 0% 61 1964
Sullivan County 0% 53% 0% 18 1973
Susquehanna County 0% 69% 0% 56 1975
Tioga County 0% 49% 0% 74 1972
Union County 1% 38% 0% 20 1974
Venango County under 1% 73% 0% 23 1959
Warren County 0% 67% 0% 9 1959
Washington County 7% 51% 0% 306 1966
Wayne County 0% 64% 0% 6 1980
Westmoreland County 5% 48% 0% 389 1964
Wyoming County 0% 58% 0% 25 1974
York County under 1% 20% 0% 182 1976

How these shares are counted

Shares are of mapped land in USDA's soil survey (SSURGO), weighted by each soil's share of every map unit. Drought is the US Drought Monitor's D1-or-worse share on the November 3, 2026 map. Flood losses are FEMA NFIP records since 2016. Sources and methods.