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Prince Edward County, Virginia

A shallow water table limits basements on 18% of Prince Edward County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 7%.

7.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 13.1% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 7 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

7%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

18%

high water table: limits basements

8%

in drought, October 13, 2026

50%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Prince Edward County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)6.5%
High water table (limits basements)18.4%
Septic fields very limited56.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)3.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)6.5%
Mapped soil226,300 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Wilkes24%n/a
Cecil24%0%
Madison8%0%
Appling7%0%
Helena4%n/a
Lloyd4%n/a
Charlotte County: 17%Nottoway County: 20%Lunenburg County: 16%Cumberland County: 29%Appomattox County: 14%Buckingham County: 19%Amelia County: 21%Powhatan County: 23%Prince Edward County CharlotteNottowayLunenburgCumberlandAppomattoxBuckinghamAmeliaPowhatanPrince Edward
Prince Edward 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 VA147 (2025-09-05)

What the numbers mean here

On 18% of Prince Edward 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: 34.71 in, 10.87 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.58 in.

USDA rates 57% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

7.5% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse24.8%
D1 moderate drought or worse7.5%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

7 flood losses since 2016, $194,984 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 4.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20184
20190
20203
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202045.58 in
12 months to August 202634.71 in (-10.87)
202545.69 in (+0.11)
Wettest year since 18952003: 66.05 in
Driest year since 18951930: 24.90 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FARMVILLE 2 N (7 mi away)11.9

Homes

Housing units9,209
Median year built1980
Built before 198050%
Built 2000 or later24%
Owner-occupied58%
Median value, owner-occupied$216,600
Single-family detached68%

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
Charlotte County, VA 19 mi 7% 17%
Nottoway County, VA 22 mi 6% 20%
Lunenburg County, VA 22 mi 8% 16%
Cumberland County, VA 23 mi 17% 29%
Appomattox County, VA 23 mi 5% 14%
Buckingham County, VA 25 mi 4% 19%
Amelia County, VA 26 mi 11% 21%
Powhatan County, VA 36 mi 12% 23%

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