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Berks County, Pennsylvania

A shallow water table limits basements on 27% of Berks County's mapped land. 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 307 flood losses here since 2016, 57% of them in buildings with basements. 64% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1969.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

27%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

64%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Berks County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)27.3%
Septic fields very limited78.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Urban land, not rated3.5%
Mapped soil553,261 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Berks16%under 1%
Gladstone10%n/a
Duffield9%n/a
Joanna8%n/a
Weikert7%under 1%
Laidig6%n/a
Lehigh County: 22%Schuylkill County: 30%Lebanon County: 30%Lancaster County: 18%Chester County: 21%Montgomery County: 44%Carbon County: 35%Northampton County: 30%Berks County LehighSchuylkillLebanonLancasterChesterMontgomeryCarbonNorthamptonBerks
Berks 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 PA011 (2025-09-05)

What the numbers mean here

On 27% of Berks 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: 36.33 in, 11.49 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.82 in.

USDA rates 79% 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 48 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 13 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse61.3%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

307 flood losses since 2016, $9.2 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 96. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 57% basements, 21% slabs, 9% crawl spaces, 13% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 17 in.

YearFlood losses
20160
20171
201839
201926
202096
202138
20222
202393
20241
202510
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202047.82 in
12 months to August 202636.33 in (-11.49)
202542.42 in (-5.40)
Wettest year since 18952018: 73.02 in
Driest year since 18951930: 29.23 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HAMBURG (10 mi away)13.4

Homes

Housing units171,580
Median year built1969
Built before 198064%
Built 2000 or later15%
Owner-occupied71%
Median value, owner-occupied$257,300
Single-family detached56%

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
Lehigh County, PA 22 mi 0% 22%
Schuylkill County, PA 25 mi 0% 30%
Lebanon County, PA 28 mi 1% 30%
Lancaster County, PA 31 mi under 1% 18%
Chester County, PA 32 mi under 1% 21%
Montgomery County, PA 33 mi under 1% 44%
Carbon County, PA 37 mi 0% 35%
Northampton County, PA 40 mi 0% 30%

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