Caledonia County, Vermont
A shallow water table limits basements on 49% of Caledonia County's mapped land, a higher share than 65% of US counties and the 6th highest of 14 Vermont 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, up from 98.7% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 70 flood losses here since 2016, 72% of them in buildings with basements. 59% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Caledonia County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 49.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | under 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 421,200 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Cabot | 18% | n/a |
| Vershire | 15% | n/a |
| Buckland | 11% | n/a |
| Peru | 9% | n/a |
| Lombard | 9% | n/a |
| Dummerston | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VT005 (2025-09-16)
What the numbers mean here
On 49% of Caledonia 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: 42.63 in, 2.04 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.67 in.
USDA rates 95% 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 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
70 flood losses since 2016, $3.3 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 46. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 72% basements, 21% slabs, 1% crawl spaces, 6% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 25.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2024 | 46 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.67 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.63 in (-2.04) |
| 2025 | 37.51 in (-7.16) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2008: 54.17 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2001: 30.95 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SAINT JOHNSBURY (6 mi away) | 6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 16,164 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 59% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $227,900 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, VT | 26 mi | 0% | 71% |
| Orleans County, VT | 26 mi | 0% | 59% |
| Lamoille County, VT | 27 mi | 0% | 24% |
| Washington County, VT | 28 mi | 0% | 35% |
| Orange County, VT | 35 mi | 0% | 36% |
| Grafton County, NH | 40 mi | 1% | 29% |
| Coos County, NH | 42 mi | under 1% | 53% |
| Chittenden County, VT | 47 mi | 3% | 39% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 16, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status