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Northampton County, Pennsylvania

A shallow water table limits basements on 30% of Northampton 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 168 flood losses here since 2016, 57% of them in buildings with basements. 60% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1971.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

30%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

60%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Northampton County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)30.4%
Septic fields very limited78.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.9%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Urban land, not rated14.2%
Mapped soil241,542 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Berks13%under 1%
Washington9%n/a
Gladstone6%n/a
Comly5%n/a
Weikert5%under 1%
Swartswood3%n/a
Warren County: 22%Lehigh County: 22%Monroe County: 60%Carbon County: 35%Hunterdon County: 31%Bucks County: 52%Montgomery County: 44%Somerset County: 44%Northampton County WarrenLehighMonroeCarbonHunterdonBucksMontgomerySomersetNorthampton
Northampton 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 PA095 (2025-09-04)

What the numbers mean here

On 30% of Northampton 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: 37.52 in, 11.64 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 49.16 in.

USDA rates 78% 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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 33 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 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

168 flood losses since 2016, $3.1 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 77. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 57% basements, 20% slabs, 8% crawl spaces, 15% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 17 in.

YearFlood losses
20163
20172
201812
20190
202077
202136
20220
202330
20245
20252
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202049.16 in
12 months to August 202637.52 in (-11.64)
202537.11 in (-12.05)
Wettest year since 18952011: 73.81 in
Driest year since 18951965: 30.54 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ALLENTOWN INTL AP (10 mi away)12.3

Homes

Housing units129,448
Median year built1971
Built before 198060%
Built 2000 or later19%
Owner-occupied71%
Median value, owner-occupied$308,600
Single-family detached58%

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
Warren County, NJ 17 mi 0% 22%
Lehigh County, PA 18 mi 0% 22%
Monroe County, PA 21 mi 0% 60%
Carbon County, PA 24 mi 0% 35%
Hunterdon County, NJ 24 mi 0% 31%
Bucks County, PA 31 mi under 1% 52%
Montgomery County, PA 38 mi under 1% 44%
Somerset County, NJ 38 mi 0% 44%

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