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York County, Pennsylvania
A shallow water table limits basements on 20% of York County's mapped land. 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, after 0.1% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 182 flood losses here since 2016, 32% of them in buildings with basements. 55% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under York County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | under 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 19.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 3.9% |
| Mapped soil | 583,053 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Mt. Airy | 15% | n/a |
| Chester | 14% | n/a |
| Glenelg | 12% | 0% |
| Penn | 10% | n/a |
| Manor | 5% | n/a |
| Glenville | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas PA133 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
On 20% of York 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: 35.01 in, 10.19 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.20 in.
USDA rates 80% 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 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 21 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 1% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
182 flood losses since 2016, $3.8 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 80. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 32% basements, 25% slabs, 23% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 18 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 70 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 80 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.20 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.01 in (-10.19) |
| 2025 | 40.05 in (-5.15) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 68.43 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 27.00 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SPRING GROVE (8 mi away) | 11.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $248,600 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, PA | 26 mi | under 1% | 45% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 27 mi | under 1% | 18% |
| Carroll County, MD | 29 mi | 0% | 21% |
| Cumberland County, PA | 33 mi | 1% | 23% |
| Baltimore County, MD | 34 mi | 2% | 23% |
| Dauphin County, PA | 34 mi | under 1% | 21% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 34 mi | 1% | 30% |
| Harford County, MD | 35 mi | 5% | 29% |
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