Tazewell County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 10% of Tazewell County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 3%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 75 flood losses here since 2016, 38% 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 Tazewell County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.5% |
| Mapped soil | 325,100 acres |
How we count · survey areas VA185 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 44.63 in, 3.01 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.64 in.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 10% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Tazewell County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 22 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 13 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 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
75 flood losses since 2016, $3.7 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 24. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 38% basements, 16% slabs, 39% crawl spaces, 7% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 22.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 24 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 14 |
| 2025 | 24 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.64 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.63 in (-3.01) |
| 2025 | 50.74 in (+3.10) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 60.75 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 29.53 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BURKES GARDEN (13 mi away) | 9.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 19,768 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $118,300 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDowell County, WV | 19 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Smyth County, VA | 20 mi | 11% | 5% |
| Bland County, VA | 24 mi | 3% | 11% |
| Buchanan County, VA | 28 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Wythe County, VA | 31 mi | 6% | 8% |
| Mercer County, WV | 32 mi | under 1% | 11% |
| Russell County, VA | 32 mi | 13% | 5% |
| Wyoming County, WV | 33 mi | 0% | 1% |
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