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Venango County, Pennsylvania

A shallow water table limits basements on 73% of Venango County's mapped land, a higher share than 83% of US counties and the 4th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 23 flood losses here since 2016. 74% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1959.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

73%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

74%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Venango County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.1%
High water table (limits basements)72.5%
Septic fields very limited96.0%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.1%
Mapped soil437,049 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Hanover18%n/a
Cookport17%n/a
Hazleton10%0%
Alvira9%n/a
Gilpin7%under 1%
Canfield6%over 99%
Clarion County: 50%Mercer County: 87%Crawford County: 85%Forest County: 59%Butler County: 53%Warren County: 67%Lawrence County: 67%Jefferson County: 42%Venango County ClarionMercerCrawfordForestButlerWarrenLawrenceJeffersonVenango
Venango 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 PA121 (2025-09-05)

What the numbers mean here

On 73% of Venango 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: 45.51 in, 0.25 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.76 in.

USDA rates 96% 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 20 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 99.2% 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

23 flood losses since 2016, $242,301 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 14.

YearFlood losses
20160
20172
20181
201914
20201
20212
20222
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202045.76 in
12 months to August 202645.51 in (-0.25)
202541.27 in (-4.49)
Wettest year since 18952019: 57.32 in
Driest year since 18951963: 30.49 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FRANKLIN (3 mi away)9.3

Homes

Housing units26,244
Median year built1959
Built before 198074%
Built 2000 or later12%
Owner-occupied75%
Median value, owner-occupied$119,800
Single-family detached78%

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
Clarion County, PA 23 mi under 1% 50%
Mercer County, PA 26 mi 0% 87%
Crawford County, PA 27 mi 0% 85%
Forest County, PA 28 mi 0% 59%
Butler County, PA 35 mi 1% 53%
Warren County, PA 38 mi 0% 67%
Lawrence County, PA 41 mi 1% 67%
Jefferson County, PA 43 mi under 1% 42%

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