Amherst County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Amherst County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 61.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Amherst County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 66.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.2% |
| Mapped soil | 306,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Clifford | 31% | 0% |
| Edneytown | 10% | n/a |
| Peaks | 8% | n/a |
| Stott Knob | 7% | n/a |
| Wintergreen | 6% | n/a |
| Rhodhiss | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA009 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.19 in, 14.43 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.62 in.
USDA rates 66% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Amherst County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
61.6% 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 51 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 61.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $116,239 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.62 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.19 in (-14.43) |
| 2025 | 43.89 in (-3.73) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 71.82 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 23.02 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PEDLAR DAM (7 mi away) | 12.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 14,364 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $212,400 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista city, VA | 13 mi | 2% | 1% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 16 mi | 4% | 12% |
| Nelson County, VA | 19 mi | 1% | 8% |
| Lexington city, VA | 19 mi | 6% | under 1% |
| Rockbridge County, VA | 21 mi | 10% | 6% |
| Appomattox County, VA | 26 mi | 5% | 14% |
| Campbell County, VA | 29 mi | 4% | 12% |
| Bedford County, VA | 30 mi | 1% | 5% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status