Wise County, Virginia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Wise County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 89% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 36 flood losses here since 2016, 29% of them in buildings with basements. 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 Wise County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.6% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.5% |
| Mapped soil | 228,900 acres |
How we count · survey areas VA195 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 43.99 in, 6.23 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.22 in.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Wise 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 23 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 15 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
36 flood losses since 2016, $818,497 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 10. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 29% basements, 29% slabs, 38% crawl spaces, 4% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 10 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.22 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.99 in (-6.23) |
| 2025 | 54.08 in (+3.86) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 64.00 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 34.43 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WISE 1SE (4 mi away) | 10.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 16,627 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $118,600 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norton city, VA | 3 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Letcher County, KY | 17 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Scott County, VA | 18 mi | 19% | 7% |
| Dickenson County, VA | 19 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Russell County, VA | 29 mi | 13% | 5% |
| Knott County, KY | 32 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Lee County, VA | 34 mi | 13% | 4% |
| Harlan County, KY | 34 mi | 0% | 1% |
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