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Cambria County, Pennsylvania

A shallow water table limits basements on 60% of Cambria County's mapped land, a higher share than 74% of US counties. 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 46 flood losses here since 2016, 62% of them in buildings with basements. 80% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1956.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

60%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

80%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Cambria County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)60.5%
Septic fields very limited95.4%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Urban land, not rated1.5%
Mapped soil443,949 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Cookport16%n/a
Gilpin13%under 1%
Laidig11%n/a
Hazleton9%0%
Wharton8%n/a
Brinkerton7%n/a
Blair County: 42%Indiana County: 37%Clearfield County: 37%Bedford County: 36%Huntingdon County: 31%Somerset County: 39%Westmoreland County: 48%Armstrong County: 33%Cambria County BlairIndianaClearfieldBedfordHuntingdonSomersetWestmorelandArmstrongCambria
Cambria 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 PA021 (2025-09-05)

What the numbers mean here

On 60% of Cambria 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: 49.39 in, 3.23 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 46.16 in.

USDA rates 95% 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 17 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 7.8% 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

46 flood losses since 2016, $765,736 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 13. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 62% basements, 24% slabs, 3% crawl spaces, 12% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 10 in.

YearFlood losses
20162
20175
201810
20192
20202
202113
20220
20231
20247
20250
2026 to date4

Rain

Average year, 1991-202046.16 in
12 months to August 202649.39 in (+3.23)
202545.48 in (-0.68)
Wettest year since 18952018: 68.84 in
Driest year since 18951930: 27.40 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at EBENSBURG SEWAGE PLT (3 mi away)9.2

Homes

Housing units64,456
Median year built1956
Built before 198080%
Built 2000 or later7%
Owner-occupied76%
Median value, owner-occupied$121,000
Single-family detached74%

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
Blair County, PA 21 mi 2% 42%
Indiana County, PA 22 mi 1% 37%
Clearfield County, PA 36 mi 0% 37%
Bedford County, PA 37 mi 3% 36%
Huntingdon County, PA 39 mi 2% 31%
Somerset County, PA 40 mi 0% 39%
Westmoreland County, PA 42 mi 5% 48%
Armstrong County, PA 45 mi 1% 33%

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