Buchanan County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Buchanan County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 54 flood losses here since 2016, 26% of them in buildings with basements. 52% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
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 Buchanan County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.7% |
| Mapped soil | 322,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Shelocta | 23% | 0% |
| Highsplint | 18% | n/a |
| Matewan | 9% | n/a |
| Kaymine | 8% | n/a |
| Marrowbone | 8% | n/a |
| Cloverlick | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA027 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 41.51 in, 5.92 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.43 in.
USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Buchanan County; 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 23 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 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
54 flood losses since 2016, $2.1 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 23. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 26% basements, 12% slabs, 37% crawl spaces, 26% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 28 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 14 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 23 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.43 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 41.51 in (-5.92) |
| 2025 | 49.79 in (+2.36) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 62.15 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 29.29 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GRUNDY (3 mi away) | 10.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,321 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $94,900 |
| Single-family detached | 59% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dickenson County, VA | 19 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| McDowell County, WV | 22 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Russell County, VA | 23 mi | 13% | 5% |
| Pike County, KY | 25 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Tazewell County, VA | 28 mi | 10% | 3% |
| Mingo County, WV | 32 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Wyoming County, WV | 35 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Washington County, VA | 36 mi | 1% | 7% |
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