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Virginia Beach city, Virginia

A shallow water table limits basements on 65% of Virginia Beach city's mapped land, a higher share than 78% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1,791 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

65%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

40%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Virginia Beach city

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)64.7%
Septic fields very limited71.9%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Urban land, not rated4.7%
Mapped soil197,590 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Acredale19%n/a
Tomotley8%n/a
Nimmo6%n/a
Backbay4%n/a
Dorovan4%n/a
Nawney3%n/a
Norfolk city: 28%Chesapeake city: 88%Portsmouth city: 22%Hampton city: 49%Currituck County: 52%Poquoson city: 54%Camden County: 74%Suffolk city: 79%Virginia Beach city Norfolk cityChesapeake cityPortsmouth cityHampton cityCurrituckPoquoson cityCamdenSuffolk cityVirginia Beach city
Virginia Beach city (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 VA810 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

On 65% of Virginia Beach city'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: 37.55 in, 10.42 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.97 in.

USDA rates 72% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 21 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse100%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

1,791 flood losses since 2016, $56.7 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 1,494. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 73% slabs, 18% crawl spaces, 7% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 10 in.

YearFlood losses
20161,494
201724
201856
201936
202056
202110
202221
202330
202423
202534
2026 to date7

Rain

Average year, 1991-202047.97 in
12 months to August 202637.55 in (-10.42)
202543.07 in (-4.90)
Wettest year since 18951989: 61.94 in
Driest year since 18952001: 29.45 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OCEANA NAS (3 mi away)12.1

Homes

Housing units191,294
Median year built1984
Built before 198040%
Built 2000 or later20%
Owner-occupied65%
Median value, owner-occupied$382,500
Single-family detached55%

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
Norfolk city, VA 16 mi 2% 28%
Chesapeake city, VA 17 mi 0% 88%
Portsmouth city, VA 19 mi under 1% 22%
Hampton city, VA 24 mi 11% 49%
Currituck County, NC 26 mi under 1% 52%
Poquoson city, VA 29 mi 5% 54%
Camden County, NC 31 mi under 1% 74%
Suffolk city, VA 34 mi 6% 79%

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