Greene County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Greene County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, 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 11 flood losses here since 2016. 28% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1994.
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 Greene County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 67.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.2% |
| Mapped soil | 100,400 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Elioak | 26% | n/a |
| Parker | 15% | n/a |
| Ashe | 8% | n/a |
| Lew | 7% | n/a |
| Myersville | 7% | n/a |
| Catoctin | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA079 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.29 in, 12.61 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.90 in.
USDA rates 68% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Greene 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 42 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 16.3% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
11 flood losses since 2016, $161,125 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 7.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.90 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.29 in (-12.61) |
| 2025 | 40.54 in (-5.36) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 72.29 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 22.22 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHARLOTTESVILLE 2W (19 mi away) | 13.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,852 |
| Median year built | 1994 |
| Built before 1980 | 28% |
| Built 2000 or later | 36% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $343,300 |
| Single-family detached | 88% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, VA | 13 mi | under 1% | 14% |
| Charlottesville city, VA | 18 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 19 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Page County, VA | 22 mi | 3% | 16% |
| Harrisonburg city, VA | 24 mi | 58% | 4% |
| Orange County, VA | 25 mi | 16% | 16% |
| Rockingham County, VA | 27 mi | 20% | 14% |
| Waynesboro city, VA | 28 mi | 0% | 9% |
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