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Mecklenburg County, Virginia

A shallow water table limits basements on 18% of Mecklenburg County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 10%.

100% 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. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

10%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

18%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

46%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Mecklenburg County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)10.1%
High water table (limits basements)18.2%
Septic fields very limited36.0%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)10.1%
Mapped soil434,700 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Appling15%0%
Cecil15%0%
Herndon12%n/a
Georgeville10%0%
Goldston6%n/a
Orange5%n/a
Lunenburg County: 16%Vance County: 10%Warren County: 13%Charlotte County: 17%Brunswick County: 32%Granville County: 35%Halifax County: 21%Nottoway County: 20%Mecklenburg County LunenburgVanceWarrenCharlotteBrunswickGranvilleHalifaxNottowayMecklenburg
Mecklenburg County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas VA117 (2025-09-05)

What the numbers mean here

On 18% of Mecklenburg County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 28.75 in, 16.94 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.69 in.

Drought

100% 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 41 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse100%
D2 severe or worse81.8%
D3 extreme or worse1.2%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

1 flood losses since 2016, $4,439 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 1.

YearFlood losses
20160
20171
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202045.69 in
12 months to August 202628.75 in (-16.94)
202544.92 in (-0.77)
Wettest year since 18952018: 65.39 in
Driest year since 18951965: 28.79 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at JOHN H KERR DAM (7 mi away)11.7

Homes

Housing units19,315
Median year built1983
Built before 198046%
Built 2000 or later25%
Owner-occupied68%
Median value, owner-occupied$192,600
Single-family detached72%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Lunenburg County, VA 19 mi 8% 16%
Vance County, NC 22 mi 6% 10%
Warren County, NC 25 mi 5% 13%
Charlotte County, VA 27 mi 7% 17%
Brunswick County, VA 29 mi 10% 32%
Granville County, NC 31 mi 26% 35%
Halifax County, VA 32 mi 14% 21%
Nottoway County, VA 36 mi 6% 20%

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