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Bucks County, Pennsylvania
A shallow water table limits basements on 52% of Bucks County's mapped land, a higher share than 68% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 573 flood losses here since 2016, 49% of them in buildings with basements. 58% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Bucks County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | under 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 51.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | under 0.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 14.4% |
| Mapped soil | 397,945 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Abbottstown | 8% | n/a |
| Reaville | 6% | n/a |
| Penn | 5% | n/a |
| Croton | 4% | n/a |
| Towhee | 4% | n/a |
| Lansdale | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas PA017 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
On 52% of Bucks 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: 37.80 in, 10.61 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 48.41 in.
USDA rates 77% 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 45 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 weeks, most recently on the June 30, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
573 flood losses since 2016, $21.2 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 404. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 49% basements, 25% slabs, 7% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 18 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 25 |
| 2019 | 20 |
| 2020 | 55 |
| 2021 | 404 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 28 |
| 2024 | 14 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 to date | 8 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 48.41 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 37.80 in (-10.61) |
| 2025 | 39.14 in (-9.27) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 67.11 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1965: 31.05 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LAMBERTVILLE (9 mi away) | 14.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 257,260 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $445,700 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, PA | 16 mi | under 1% | 44% |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 19 mi | 0% | 31% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 22 mi | 0% | 44% |
| Philadelphia County, PA | 23 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 30 mi | 0% | 44% |
| Northampton County, PA | 31 mi | 0% | 30% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 32 mi | 0% | 22% |
| Delaware County, PA | 33 mi | under 1% | 22% |
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