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Lexington County, South Carolina
A shallow water table limits basements on 24% of Lexington County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 2%.
75.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 93.5% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 80 flood losses here since 2016, 6% of them in buildings with basements. 31% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
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 Lexington County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 24.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.9% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.1% |
| Mapped soil | 484,600 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeland | 26% | 0% |
| Blaney | 8% | n/a |
| Vaucluse | 6% | n/a |
| Fuquay | 5% | n/a |
| Barnwell | 5% | n/a |
| Pelion | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas SC063 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
On 24% of Lexington 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: 31.98 in, 14.56 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.54 in.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
75.8% 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 19 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 75.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
80 flood losses since 2016, $823,280 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 15. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 6% basements, 22% slabs, 41% crawl spaces, 31% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 6 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 15 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 14 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 46.54 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.98 in (-14.56) |
| 2025 | 45.32 in (-1.22) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1964: 71.34 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 26.54 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PELION 0.8 NW (8 mi away) | 15.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 132,916 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 31% |
| Built 2000 or later | 38% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $234,500 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County, SC | 23 mi | 0% | 47% |
| Saluda County, SC | 27 mi | 7% | 19% |
| Aiken County, SC | 31 mi | under 1% | 32% |
| Calhoun County, SC | 32 mi | 0% | 36% |
| Newberry County, SC | 33 mi | 13% | 28% |
| Fairfield County, SC | 36 mi | 1% | 15% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 40 mi | 3% | 18% |
| Orangeburg County, SC | 42 mi | 0% | 77% |
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