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Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

A shallow water table limits basements on 22% of Lehigh 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 152 flood losses here since 2016, 69% of them in buildings with basements. 65% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1968.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

22%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

65%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Lehigh County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)22.0%
Septic fields very limited80.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.9%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Urban land, not rated10.4%
Mapped soil222,848 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Berks22%under 1%
Washington11%n/a
Gladstone8%n/a
Weikert8%under 1%
Duffield6%n/a
Laidig4%n/a
Northampton County: 30%Carbon County: 35%Berks County: 27%Montgomery County: 44%Bucks County: 52%Schuylkill County: 30%Monroe County: 60%Warren County: 22%Lehigh County NorthamptonCarbonBerksMontgomeryBucksSchuylkillMonroeWarrenLehigh
Lehigh 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 PA077 (2025-09-03)

What the numbers mean here

On 22% of Lehigh 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: 36.72 in, 12.26 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 48.98 in.

USDA rates 81% 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 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 16 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 worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

152 flood losses since 2016, $4.0 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 88. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 69% basements, 19% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 6% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 14 in.

YearFlood losses
20162
20170
201826
20195
202088
202118
20222
20232
20245
20252
2026 to date2

Rain

Average year, 1991-202048.98 in
12 months to August 202636.72 in (-12.26)
202539.78 in (-9.20)
Wettest year since 18952018: 71.46 in
Driest year since 18951930: 30.82 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ALLENTOWN INTL AP (8 mi away)12.3

Homes

Housing units151,220
Median year built1968
Built before 198065%
Built 2000 or later17%
Owner-occupied66%
Median value, owner-occupied$300,400
Single-family detached50%

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
Northampton County, PA 18 mi 0% 30%
Carbon County, PA 22 mi 0% 35%
Berks County, PA 22 mi 0% 27%
Montgomery County, PA 30 mi under 1% 44%
Bucks County, PA 32 mi under 1% 52%
Schuylkill County, PA 33 mi 0% 30%
Monroe County, PA 33 mi 0% 60%
Warren County, NJ 35 mi 0% 22%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 3, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status