Pulaski County, Virginia
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19% of Pulaski County's mapped land, a higher share than 69% of US counties and the 8th highest of 133 Virginia counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 6%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 41 flood losses here since 2016, 19% of them in buildings with basements. 60% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Pulaski County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 20.6% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.3% |
| Mapped soil | 188,300 acres |
How we count · survey areas VA155 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.1% by land area here, and 21% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 28.98 in, 12.95 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 41.93 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 23 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 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
41 flood losses since 2016, $2.1 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 25. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 19% basements, 6% slabs, 23% crawl spaces, 52% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 54 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 25 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 41.93 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 28.98 in (-12.95) |
| 2025 | 36.26 in (-5.67) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 65.16 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 21.67 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PULASKI 2 E (4 mi away) | 9.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 17,056 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $191,700 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radford city, VA | 9 mi | 19% | 5% |
| Giles County, VA | 17 mi | 10% | 4% |
| Montgomery County, VA | 20 mi | 33% | 6% |
| Floyd County, VA | 22 mi | 1% | 8% |
| Carroll County, VA | 23 mi | 1% | 5% |
| Bland County, VA | 23 mi | 3% | 11% |
| Wythe County, VA | 23 mi | 6% | 8% |
| Galax city, VA | 30 mi | 1% | 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