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Montour County, Pennsylvania

A shallow water table limits basements on 36% of Montour County's mapped land, a higher share than 54% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 57% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

36%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

57%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Montour County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)1.4%
High water table (limits basements)35.5%
Septic fields very limited89.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.6%
Mapped soil84,749 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Weikert15%under 1%
Berks14%under 1%
Watson8%n/a
Hartleton8%n/a
Alvira7%n/a
Holly5%n/a
Northumberland County: 27%Columbia County: 20%Union County: 38%Snyder County: 28%Sullivan County: 53%Lycoming County: 19%Schuylkill County: 30%Luzerne County: 45%Montour County NorthumberlandColumbiaUnionSnyderSullivanLycomingSchuylkillLuzerneMontour
Montour 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 PA093 (2025-09-04)

What the numbers mean here

On 36% of Montour 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: 36.73 in, 6.76 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 43.49 in.

USDA rates 90% 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 23 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 9 weeks, most recently on the March 3, 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

7 flood losses since 2016, $189,672 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 5.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20185
20190
20200
20211
20220
20230
20241
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202043.49 in
12 months to August 202636.73 in (-6.76)
202537.03 in (-6.46)
Wettest year since 18952011: 73.10 in
Driest year since 18951930: 26.76 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BEAR GAP (17 mi away)11.2

Homes

Housing units8,144
Median year built1976
Built before 198057%
Built 2000 or later16%
Owner-occupied69%
Median value, owner-occupied$248,100
Single-family detached68%

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
Northumberland County, PA 12 mi under 1% 27%
Columbia County, PA 14 mi 0% 20%
Union County, PA 21 mi 1% 38%
Snyder County, PA 29 mi 1% 28%
Sullivan County, PA 29 mi 0% 53%
Lycoming County, PA 30 mi under 1% 19%
Schuylkill County, PA 32 mi 0% 30%
Luzerne County, PA 37 mi 0% 45%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status