Rockbridge County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 10% of Rockbridge County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 93.9% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 10 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 Rockbridge County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.7% |
| Mapped soil | 368,662 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Frederick | 20% | 23% |
| Oriskany | 7% | n/a |
| Watahala | 6% | n/a |
| Needmore | 5% | n/a |
| Dekalb | 4% | n/a |
| Opequon | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA163 (2025-09-05), VA850 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 34.17 in, 10.62 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.79 in.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 10% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Rockbridge County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
8% 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 45 weeks, most recently on the August 25, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
10 flood losses since 2016, $258,399 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 7.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.17 in (-10.62) |
| 2025 | 42.57 in (-2.22) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 64.07 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 20.82 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LEXINGTON (3 mi away) | 10.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,361 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $248,800 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington city, VA | 2 mi | 6% | under 1% |
| Buena Vista city, VA | 8 mi | 2% | 1% |
| Amherst County, VA | 21 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Bath County, VA | 23 mi | under 1% | 9% |
| Botetourt County, VA | 26 mi | 10% | 12% |
| Covington city, VA | 29 mi | 1% | 23% |
| Augusta County, VA | 30 mi | 3% | 11% |
| Alleghany County, VA | 31 mi | 1% | 7% |
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