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York County, South Carolina
A shallow water table limits basements on 23% of York County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23%.
18.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 31.9% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 27 flood losses here since 2016. 23% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2000.
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) | 22.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 23.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 59.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.8% |
| Urban land, not rated | 3.0% |
| Mapped soil | 445,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil | 26% | 0% |
| Wynott | 11% | n/a |
| Georgeville | 10% | 0% |
| Pacolet | 9% | 0% |
| Chewacla | 6% | n/a |
| Hard Labor | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas SC091 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.9% by land area here, and 23% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 18.1% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of York County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 23% 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: 31.38 in, 12.62 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.00 in.
USDA rates 59% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
18.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 72.1% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 18.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
27 flood losses since 2016, $227,223 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 13.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.00 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.38 in (-12.62) |
| 2025 | 39.25 in (-4.75) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 64.69 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 28.15 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WINTHROP UNIV (9 mi away) | 11.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 120,653 |
| Median year built | 2000 |
| Built before 1980 | 23% |
| Built 2000 or later | 50% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $361,300 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester County, SC | 19 mi | 7% | 19% |
| Gaston County, NC | 22 mi | 3% | 10% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 25 mi | 1% | 5% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 28 mi | 16% | 16% |
| Union County, SC | 31 mi | 8% | 17% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 33 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 33 mi | 2% | 21% |
| Lincoln County, NC | 36 mi | 1% | 9% |
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