Henry County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Henry County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 58.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 17 flood losses here since 2016. 63% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.
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 Henry County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | under 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 66.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | under 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 245,700 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Clifford | 63% | 0% |
| Woolwine | 17% | n/a |
| Minnieville | 5% | n/a |
| Orenda | 4% | n/a |
| Colvard | 3% | n/a |
| Spriggs | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA089 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.92 in, 13.20 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.12 in.
USDA rates 67% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Henry County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
58.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 48 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 46 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 58.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 23.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
17 flood losses since 2016, $1.0 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 10.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.12 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.92 in (-13.20) |
| 2025 | 41.07 in (-6.05) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 71.69 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 29.40 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MARTINSVILLE FLTR PLT (9 mi away) | 13.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 25,404 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 63% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $134,800 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsville city, VA | 8 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Patrick County, VA | 17 mi | under 1% | 6% |
| Rockingham County, NC | 20 mi | 2% | 9% |
| Stokes County, NC | 22 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Franklin County, VA | 26 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Floyd County, VA | 30 mi | 1% | 8% |
| Danville city, VA | 32 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Pittsylvania County, VA | 35 mi | 5% | 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