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Beaver County, Pennsylvania

A shallow water table limits basements on 35% of Beaver County's mapped land, a higher share than 53% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 133 flood losses here since 2016, 35% of them in buildings with basements. 78% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1957.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

6%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

35%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

78%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Beaver County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)6.1%
High water table (limits basements)35.0%
Septic fields very limited85.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.2%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)6.0%
Urban land, not rated3.3%
Mapped soil284,070 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Gilpin23%under 1%
Weikert10%under 1%
Wharton8%n/a
Rayne7%n/a
Hazleton5%0%
Ernest3%n/a
Hancock County: 11%Lawrence County: 67%Columbiana County: 53%Allegheny County: 31%Butler County: 53%Jefferson County: 11%Mahoning County: 77%Brooke County: 9%Beaver County HancockLawrenceColumbianaAlleghenyButlerJeffersonMahoningBrookeBeaver
Beaver County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas PA007 (2025-09-05)

What the numbers mean here

On 35% of Beaver 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: 40.73 in, 0.40 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 41.13 in.

USDA rates 86% 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 2 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 92.4% of its area, on the October 14, 2025 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

133 flood losses since 2016, $3.3 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 41. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 35% basements, 18% slabs, 20% crawl spaces, 27% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 23.5 in.

YearFlood losses
20162
20174
201841
201941
20200
20210
202211
20231
202431
20250
2026 to date2

Rain

Average year, 1991-202041.13 in
12 months to August 202640.73 in (-0.40)
202534.41 in (-6.72)
Wettest year since 18952018: 58.22 in
Driest year since 18951930: 27.39 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MONTGOMERY L&D (3 mi away)7.6

Homes

Housing units79,328
Median year built1957
Built before 198078%
Built 2000 or later10%
Owner-occupied75%
Median value, owner-occupied$190,900
Single-family detached76%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Hancock County, WV 16 mi 1% 11%
Lawrence County, PA 21 mi 1% 67%
Columbiana County, OH 23 mi 2% 53%
Allegheny County, PA 24 mi 10% 31%
Butler County, PA 28 mi 1% 53%
Jefferson County, OH 29 mi 21% 11%
Mahoning County, OH 32 mi 9% 77%
Brooke County, WV 32 mi 1% 9%

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