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Rhode Island soil by county

Across Rhode Island's mapped land, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0% and a shallow water table limits basements on 42%.

Highest clay shares: Bristol County (0%), Kent County (0%), Newport County (0%), Providence County (0%), Washington County (0%). Highest water-table shares: Newport County (66%), Providence County (42%), Bristol County (38%), Washington County (38%), Kent County (34%).

Data as of September 22, 2026 · 5 counties

Bristol County: 0%Kent County: 0%Newport County: 0%Providence County: 0%Washington County: 0%
Expansive clay: share of mapped land where shrink-swell clay limits houses without basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+
Bristol County: 38%Kent County: 34%Newport County: 66%Providence County: 42%Washington County: 38%
High water table: share of mapped land where a shallow water table limits basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

Every county in Rhode Island

Select a column heading to sort.
Bristol County 0% 38% 0% 75 1957
Kent County 0% 34% 0% 113 1967
Newport County 0% 66% 0% 99 1963
Providence County 0% 42% 0% 161 1956
Washington County 0% 38% 0% 93 1977

How these shares are counted

Shares are of mapped land in USDA's soil survey (SSURGO), weighted by each soil's share of every map unit. Drought is the US Drought Monitor's D1-or-worse share on the September 22, 2026 map. Flood losses are FEMA NFIP records since 2016. Sources and methods.