Falls Church city, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Falls Church city's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 13%, 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 31 flood losses here since 2016. 61% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1971.
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 Falls Church city
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 13.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 50.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 28.5% |
| Mapped soil | 1,298 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Wheaton | 37% | n/a |
| Glenelg | 20% | 0% |
| Meadowville | 8% | n/a |
| Sumerduck | 4% | n/a |
| Fairfax | 1% | n/a |
| Codorus | 1% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA610 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.57 in, 10.58 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.15 in.
USDA rates 51% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 13% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Falls Church 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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 41 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
31 flood losses since 2016, $271,424 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 22. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 22 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.15 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.57 in (-10.58) |
| 2025 | 35.76 in (-8.39) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2003: 65.82 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 20.35 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DALECARLIA RSVR (5 mi away) | 12.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,585 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 61% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 53% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $1.1 million |
| Single-family detached | 37% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington County, VA | 4 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Fairfax County, VA | 6 mi | 6% | 33% |
| Alexandria city, VA | 7 mi | 3% | 44% |
| Fairfax city, VA | 7 mi | 2% | 10% |
| District of Columbia, DC | 9 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Manassas Park city, VA | 16 mi | 0% | 16% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 18 mi | 1% | 19% |
| Prince George's County, MD | 18 mi | 1% | 46% |
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