Patrick County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Patrick County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 8.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 99.9% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 4 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 Patrick County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.2% |
| Mapped soil | 311,100 acres |
How we count · survey areas VA141 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 36.54 in, 15.15 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.69 in.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Patrick County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
8.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 47 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 36 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 99.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 8.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4 flood losses since 2016, $18,425 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.69 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.54 in (-15.15) |
| 2025 | 42.20 in (-9.49) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 78.34 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 27.02 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at STUART (3 mi away) | 15.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,023 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $153,400 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry County, VA | 17 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Floyd County, VA | 19 mi | 1% | 8% |
| Stokes County, NC | 19 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Martinsville city, VA | 23 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Carroll County, VA | 25 mi | 1% | 5% |
| Surry County, NC | 28 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Franklin County, VA | 32 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Rockingham County, NC | 34 mi | 2% | 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