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Spotsylvania County, Virginia

A shallow water table limits basements on 36% of Spotsylvania County's mapped land, a higher share than 55% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 19 flood losses here since 2016. 17% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1997.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

36%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

17%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Spotsylvania County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)1.3%
High water table (limits basements)36.1%
Septic fields very limited52.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)1.3%
Mapped soil263,995 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Appling13%0%
Wedowee7%n/a
Nason7%n/a
Partlow6%n/a
Tatum4%n/a
Toddstav4%n/a
Fredericksburg city: 49%Caroline County: 37%Orange County: 16%Stafford County: 30%Louisa County: 17%Culpeper County: 27%King George County: 37%Hanover County: 43%Spotsylvania County Fredericksburg cityCarolineOrangeStaffordLouisaCulpeperKing GeorgeHanoverSpotsylvania
Spotsylvania 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 VA177 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

On 36% of Spotsylvania 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: 30.83 in, 13.47 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.30 in.

USDA rates 53% 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 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 41 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.

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

Flood losses since 2016

19 flood losses since 2016, $56,836 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 4.

YearFlood losses
20164
20171
20184
20192
20202
20210
20221
20230
20243
20252
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202044.30 in
12 months to August 202630.83 in (-13.47)
202537.97 in (-6.33)
Wettest year since 18952003: 62.59 in
Driest year since 18951930: 22.31 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FREDERICKSBURG SEWAGE (13 mi away)11.1

Homes

Housing units55,427
Median year built1997
Built before 198017%
Built 2000 or later42%
Owner-occupied80%
Median value, owner-occupied$404,900
Single-family detached77%

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
Fredericksburg city, VA 12 mi 0% 49%
Caroline County, VA 20 mi 1% 37%
Orange County, VA 20 mi 16% 16%
Stafford County, VA 20 mi 2% 30%
Louisa County, VA 22 mi 3% 17%
Culpeper County, VA 27 mi 24% 27%
King George County, VA 28 mi 0% 37%
Hanover County, VA 31 mi 3% 43%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status