Lamoille County, Vermont
A shallow water table limits basements on 24% of Lamoille County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
99.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 0.7% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 78 flood losses here since 2016, 57% of them in buildings with basements. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.
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 Lamoille County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 24.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 0.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 296,600 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Lyman | 16% | n/a |
| Tunbridge | 16% | n/a |
| Berkshire | 12% | n/a |
| Marlow | 8% | n/a |
| Peru | 7% | n/a |
| Adams | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VT015 (2025-09-16)
What the numbers mean here
On 24% of Lamoille 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: 49.13 in, 1.20 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 47.93 in.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
99.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 4 weeks, most recently on the November 11, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 99.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
78 flood losses since 2016, $4.6 million paid. The worst year was 2023, with 51. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 57% basements, 35% slabs, 1% crawl spaces, 7% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 32.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 51 |
| 2024 | 12 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.93 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 49.13 in (+1.20) |
| 2025 | 47.05 in (-0.88) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 59.65 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1908: 33.55 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MT MANSFIELD (11 mi away) | 18.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 14,320 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $304,700 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, VT | 22 mi | 1% | 52% |
| Washington County, VT | 22 mi | 0% | 35% |
| Chittenden County, VT | 24 mi | 3% | 39% |
| Orleans County, VT | 24 mi | 0% | 59% |
| Caledonia County, VT | 27 mi | 0% | 49% |
| Grand Isle County, VT | 35 mi | 21% | 65% |
| Orange County, VT | 44 mi | 0% | 36% |
| Essex County, VT | 45 mi | 0% | 71% |
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