Lee County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 13% of Lee County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, 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 2 flood losses here since 2016. 55% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1977.
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 Lee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 13.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 13.4% |
| Mapped soil | 260,600 acres |
How we count · survey areas VA105 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 47.48 in, 4.41 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.89 in.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 13% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Lee 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 21 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 12 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $8,314 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.89 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 47.48 in (-4.41) |
| 2025 | 55.22 in (+3.33) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 67.95 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 36.02 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BIG STONE GAP (21 mi away) | 13.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,851 |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $98,900 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan County, KY | 12 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Hancock County, TN | 14 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Hawkins County, TN | 20 mi | 0% | 10% |
| Scott County, VA | 29 mi | 19% | 7% |
| Leslie County, KY | 30 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Bell County, KY | 31 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Norton city, VA | 32 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Letcher County, KY | 32 mi | 0% | under 1% |
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