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Saluda County, South Carolina

A shallow water table limits basements on 19% of Saluda County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 7%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

7%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

19%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

40%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Saluda County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)6.6%
High water table (limits basements)18.9%
Septic fields very limited41.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)6.7%
Mapped soil293,261 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Herndon26%n/a
Georgeville20%0%
Kirksey10%n/a
Cecil5%0%
Nanford4%n/a
Appling4%0%
Edgefield County: 18%Newberry County: 28%Greenwood County: 17%Lexington County: 24%Aiken County: 32%McCormick County: 19%Laurens County: 19%Columbia County: 12%Saluda County EdgefieldNewberryGreenwoodLexingtonAikenMcCormickLaurensColumbiaSaluda
Saluda 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 SC081 (2025-08-29)

What the numbers mean here

On 19% of Saluda 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: 33.22 in, 12.43 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.65 in.

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 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 24 weeks, most recently on the June 16, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse13.1%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

2 flood losses since 2016, $8,614 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 2.

YearFlood losses
20160
20172
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202045.65 in
12 months to August 202633.22 in (-12.43)
202544.46 in (-1.19)
Wettest year since 18951929: 77.57 in
Driest year since 18951954: 29.05 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SALUDA (3 mi away)14

Homes

Housing units9,543
Median year built1987
Built before 198040%
Built 2000 or later23%
Owner-occupied79%
Median value, owner-occupied$146,500
Single-family detached68%

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
Edgefield County, SC 21 mi 3% 18%
Newberry County, SC 21 mi 13% 28%
Greenwood County, SC 25 mi 11% 17%
Lexington County, SC 27 mi 2% 24%
Aiken County, SC 32 mi under 1% 32%
McCormick County, SC 35 mi 9% 19%
Laurens County, SC 37 mi 7% 19%
Columbia County, GA 43 mi 7% 12%

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