Grayson County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Grayson County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 89% 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 1.3% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 58% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Grayson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.6% |
| Mapped soil | 252,810 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Peaks | 19% | n/a |
| Edneytown | 17% | n/a |
| Edneyville | 13% | n/a |
| Glenelg | 12% | 0% |
| Tate | 8% | n/a |
| Pigeonroost | 8% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA077 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 36.95 in, 11.62 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 48.57 in.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Grayson 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 45 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 6.2% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $9,384 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 48.57 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.95 in (-11.62) |
| 2025 | 39.20 in (-9.37) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 70.88 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 28.38 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TRANSOU (18 mi away) | 16.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,961 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $150,100 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alleghany County, NC | 12 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Galax city, VA | 17 mi | 1% | 9% |
| Wythe County, VA | 19 mi | 6% | 8% |
| Ashe County, NC | 21 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Smyth County, VA | 22 mi | 11% | 5% |
| Carroll County, VA | 28 mi | 1% | 5% |
| Wilkes County, NC | 31 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Bland County, VA | 33 mi | 3% | 11% |
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