HomeVermontOrange County

Orange County, Vermont

A shallow water table limits basements on 36% of Orange County's mapped land, a higher share than 55% of US counties and the 9th highest of 14 Vermont counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.

85.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 82.1% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 25 flood losses here since 2016, 86% of them in buildings with basements. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

36%

high water table: limits basements

85%

in drought, October 13, 2026

53%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Orange County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)36.2%
Septic fields very limited97.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.2%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Mapped soil442,800 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Buckland17%n/a
Colrain15%n/a
Tunbridge14%n/a
Woodstock12%n/a
Cabot11%n/a
Vershire6%n/a
Washington County: 35%Grafton County: 29%Windsor County: 27%Caledonia County: 49%Addison County: 53%Rutland County: 37%Lamoille County: 24%Sullivan County: 26%Orange County WashingtonGraftonWindsorCaledoniaAddisonRutlandLamoilleSullivanOrange
Orange County (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 VT017 (2025-09-16)

What the numbers mean here

On 36% of Orange 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: 40.97 in, 2.87 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 43.84 in.

USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

85.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 36 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 4 weeks, most recently on the November 11, 2025 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 worse85.4%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

25 flood losses since 2016, $863,235 paid. The worst year was 2023, with 18. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 86% basements, 5% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 5% elevated.

YearFlood losses
20160
20174
20180
20192
20200
20210
20220
202318
20240
20250
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202043.84 in
12 months to August 202640.97 in (-2.87)
202539.34 in (-4.50)
Wettest year since 18952008: 55.31 in
Driest year since 18951963: 29.38 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BETHEL 4 N (16 mi away)10.3

Homes

Housing units15,078
Median year built1978
Built before 198053%
Built 2000 or later21%
Owner-occupied83%
Median value, owner-occupied$271,300
Single-family detached80%

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
Washington County, VT 24 mi 0% 35%
Grafton County, NH 27 mi 1% 29%
Windsor County, VT 32 mi 0% 27%
Caledonia County, VT 35 mi 0% 49%
Addison County, VT 38 mi 5% 53%
Rutland County, VT 44 mi 2% 37%
Lamoille County, VT 44 mi 0% 24%
Sullivan County, NH 45 mi 2% 26%

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