Bristol city, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Bristol city's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 5%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 90% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses here since 2016. 71% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1967.
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 Bristol city
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 38.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 33.0% |
| Mapped soil | 7,400 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Weikert | 15% | 0% |
| Frederick | 14% | 23% |
| Westmoreland | 6% | 0% |
| Hagerstown | 5% | n/a |
| Sindion | 3% | n/a |
| Wyrick | 1% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA191 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 42.02 in, 4.46 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.48 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Bristol city; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 18 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 18 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
5 flood losses since 2016, $38,080 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 46.48 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.02 in (-4.46) |
| 2025 | 46.04 in (-0.44) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 60.67 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 28.72 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ABINGDON 3S (11 mi away) | 8.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,641 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 71% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $184,100 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, TN | 11 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Washington County, VA | 15 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Johnson County, TN | 20 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Russell County, VA | 22 mi | 13% | 5% |
| Carter County, TN | 23 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Scott County, VA | 26 mi | 19% | 7% |
| Washington County, TN | 29 mi | 1% | 10% |
| Norton city, VA | 34 mi | 0% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status