Greenville County, South Carolina

USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Greenville County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, after 48.3% a week earlier.

FEMA's flood data list 275 flood losses here since 2016, 11% of them in buildings with basements. 35% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1992.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

11%

high water table: limits basements

in drought, October 13, 2026

35%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Greenville County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)	0.4%
High water table (limits basements)	10.9%
Septic fields very limited	52.4%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)	1.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)	0.4%
Urban land, not rated	3.2%
Mapped soil	510,600 acres

Soil series	Share here	Series nationally: expansive clay
Cecil	32%	0%
Pacolet	11%	0%
Hiwassee	7%	n/a
Edneytown	7%	n/a
Brevard	6%	n/a
Evard	4%	0%

Greenville County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas SC045 (2025-08-29)

What the numbers mean here

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 36.99 in, 17.59 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 54.58 in.

USDA rates 52% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Greenville County; conditions still vary lot by lot.

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 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Category, October 13, 2026	Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse	71.3%
D1 moderate drought or worse	0%
D2 severe or worse	0%
D3 extreme or worse	0%
D4 exceptional	0%

Flood losses since 2016

275 flood losses since 2016, $6.2 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 176. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 11% basements, 19% slabs, 40% crawl spaces, 30% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 16 in.

Year	Flood losses
2016	4
2017	9
2018	10
2019	4
2020	53
2021	4
2022	3
2023	11
2024	176
2025	1
2026 to date	0

Rain

Average year, 1991-2020	54.58 in
12 months to August 2026	36.99 in (-17.59)
2025	42.08 in (-12.50)
Wettest year since 1895	1901: 86.38 in
Driest year since 1895	1925: 35.36 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TRAVELERS REST 2NE (7 mi away)	17.6

Homes

Housing units	238,260
Median year built	1992
Built before 1980	35%
Built 2000 or later	38%
Owner-occupied	69%
Median value, owner-occupied	$299,000
Single-family detached	68%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

Work	Range	Source
Foundation repair, US	$2,200 to $8,200	Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US	$2,000 to $15,000	Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US	$300 to $600	Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

Place	Distance	Expansive clay	High water table
Pickens County, SC	20 mi	under 1%	7%
Spartanburg County, SC	22 mi	1%	10%
Polk County, NC	29 mi	under 1%	6%
Anderson County, SC	30 mi	under 1%	11%
Henderson County, NC	31 mi	under 1%	10%
Transylvania County, NC	33 mi	0%	6%
Laurens County, SC	35 mi	7%	19%
Oconee County, SC	40 mi	under 1%	5%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status