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Franklin County, Pennsylvania

A shallow water table limits basements on 32% of Franklin County's mapped land, a higher share than 51% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4%.

28.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 36.7% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 14 flood losses here since 2016. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

4%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

32%

high water table: limits basements

28%

in drought, October 13, 2026

53%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Franklin County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)4.2%
High water table (limits basements)31.7%
Septic fields very limited72.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)3.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)11.4%
Urban land, not rated1.2%
Mapped soil495,181 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Hagerstown13%n/a
Weikert12%under 1%
Sideling7%n/a
Berks7%under 1%
Murrill5%n/a
Hazleton5%0%
Fulton County: 30%Washington County: 18%Adams County: 45%Cumberland County: 23%Frederick County: 22%Huntingdon County: 31%Berkeley County: 21%Morgan County: 23%Franklin County FultonWashingtonAdamsCumberlandFrederickHuntingdonBerkeleyMorganFranklin
Franklin 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 PA055 (2025-09-05)

What the numbers mean here

On 32% of Franklin 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: 35.03 in, 7.74 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 42.77 in.

USDA rates 72% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

28.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 51 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 14 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse38.9%
D1 moderate drought or worse28.4%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

14 flood losses since 2016, $111,074 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 4.

YearFlood losses
20160
20171
20184
20191
20202
20212
20221
20230
20240
20253
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202042.77 in
12 months to August 202635.03 in (-7.74)
202535.60 in (-7.17)
Wettest year since 18952018: 64.93 in
Driest year since 18951930: 20.83 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHAMBERSBURG 1 ESE (4 mi away)10.6

Homes

Housing units67,157
Median year built1978
Built before 198053%
Built 2000 or later22%
Owner-occupied74%
Median value, owner-occupied$249,800
Single-family detached69%

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
Fulton County, PA 21 mi 1% 30%
Washington County, MD 23 mi 9% 18%
Adams County, PA 27 mi under 1% 45%
Cumberland County, PA 29 mi 1% 23%
Frederick County, MD 36 mi 1% 22%
Huntingdon County, PA 37 mi 2% 31%
Berkeley County, WV 37 mi 8% 21%
Morgan County, WV 38 mi under 1% 23%

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