Appomattox County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 5% of Appomattox County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 14%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 80.2% 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 no flood losses here since 2016. 49% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 Appomattox County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 56.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.4% |
| Mapped soil | 215,200 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Tatum | 21% | n/a |
| Manteo | 11% | n/a |
| Cecil | 10% | 0% |
| Cullen | 9% | n/a |
| Mecklenburg | 8% | n/a |
| Louisburg | 8% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA011 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 29.76 in, 15.03 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.79 in.
USDA rates 57% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 5% and a shallow water table on 14% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Appomattox County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
80.2% 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 47 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 | 80.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 39.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Appomattox County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 29.76 in (-15.03) |
| 2025 | 40.20 in (-4.59) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 72.23 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 24.26 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at APPOMATTOX (3 mi away) | 12.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,459 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 49% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $207,600 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell County, VA | 19 mi | 4% | 12% |
| Buckingham County, VA | 21 mi | 4% | 19% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 21 mi | 4% | 12% |
| Prince Edward County, VA | 23 mi | 7% | 18% |
| Amherst County, VA | 26 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Charlotte County, VA | 26 mi | 7% | 17% |
| Nelson County, VA | 29 mi | 1% | 8% |
| Cumberland County, VA | 32 mi | 17% | 29% |
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