Danville city, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 2% of Danville city's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 40% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 86 flood losses here since 2016, 13% of them in buildings with basements. 81% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1961.
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 Danville city
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 59.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 25.1% |
| Mapped soil | 11,000 acres |
How we count · survey areas VA143 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 26.36 in, 20.01 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.37 in.
USDA rates 60% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Danville city; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 50 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 48 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 80.5% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
86 flood losses since 2016, $4.1 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 72. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 13% basements, 33% slabs, 7% crawl spaces, 47% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 20 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 72 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 46.37 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 26.36 in (-20.01) |
| 2025 | 40.60 in (-5.77) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 72.14 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1941: 26.47 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHATHAM (17 mi away) | 12.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 22,376 |
| Median year built | 1961 |
| Built before 1980 | 81% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 48% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $119,100 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caswell County, NC | 13 mi | 35% | 21% |
| Pittsylvania County, VA | 17 mi | 5% | 9% |
| Rockingham County, NC | 25 mi | 2% | 9% |
| Martinsville city, VA | 26 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Person County, NC | 28 mi | 18% | 29% |
| Halifax County, VA | 29 mi | 14% | 21% |
| Henry County, VA | 32 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Alamance County, NC | 37 mi | 20% | 24% |
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