Craig County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Craig County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 15%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 46% 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, after 11.6% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 5 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 Craig County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.9% |
| Mapped soil | 95,600 acres |
How we count · survey areas VA045 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.94 in, 12.06 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.00 in.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 15% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Craig 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 51 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 24 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 98.8% |
| 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, $70,377 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.00 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.94 in (-12.06) |
| 2025 | 38.65 in (-5.35) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 60.90 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 19.76 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LAFAYETTE 1 NE (15 mi away) | 9.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,398 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 49% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $189,000 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roanoke County, VA | 10 mi | 4% | 2% |
| Monroe County, WV | 16 mi | 2% | 14% |
| Salem city, VA | 17 mi | under 1% | 3% |
| Montgomery County, VA | 20 mi | 33% | 6% |
| Roanoke city, VA | 22 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Giles County, VA | 25 mi | 10% | 4% |
| Radford city, VA | 27 mi | 19% | 5% |
| Alleghany County, VA | 28 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