Madison County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Madison County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 14%, 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 1 flood losses here since 2016. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Madison County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 13.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 62.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.4% |
| Mapped soil | 209,286 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Elioak | 9% | n/a |
| Brandywine | 9% | n/a |
| Porters | 8% | n/a |
| Lloyd | 6% | n/a |
| Meadowville | 6% | n/a |
| Eubanks | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA113 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 32.91 in, 12.62 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.53 in.
USDA rates 62% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 14% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Madison 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 43 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 | 0% |
| 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, $6,137 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.53 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.91 in (-12.62) |
| 2025 | 41.07 in (-4.46) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 74.44 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 21.04 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PIEDMONT RSCH STN (15 mi away) | 10.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,140 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $370,300 |
| Single-family detached | 94% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, VA | 13 mi | 1% | 11% |
| Culpeper County, VA | 18 mi | 24% | 27% |
| Orange County, VA | 18 mi | 16% | 16% |
| Page County, VA | 19 mi | 3% | 16% |
| Rappahannock County, VA | 20 mi | 0% | 10% |
| Charlottesville city, VA | 28 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 31 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Harrisonburg city, VA | 32 mi | 58% | 4% |
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