Orleans County, Vermont
A shallow water table limits basements on 59% of Orleans County's mapped land, a higher share than 74% of US counties and the 3rd 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 74.8% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 29 flood losses here since 2016, 39% of them in buildings with basements. 54% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Orleans County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 59.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | under 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 460,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Cabot | 21% | n/a |
| Peru | 11% | n/a |
| Tunbridge | 8% | n/a |
| Buckland | 8% | n/a |
| Vershire | 7% | n/a |
| Colonel | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VT019 (2025-09-16)
What the numbers mean here
On 59% of Orleans 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: 46.69 in, 1.43 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 48.12 in.
USDA rates 94% 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 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 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
29 flood losses since 2016, $1.8 million paid. The worst year was 2023, with 14. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 39% basements, 35% slabs, 17% crawl spaces, 9% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 14 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 48.12 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.69 in (-1.43) |
| 2025 | 41.83 in (-6.29) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 59.31 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1921: 32.40 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEWPORT (9 mi away) | 6.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 16,751 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $223,400 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamoille County, VT | 24 mi | 0% | 24% |
| Caledonia County, VT | 26 mi | 0% | 49% |
| Essex County, VT | 26 mi | 0% | 71% |
| Franklin County, VT | 32 mi | 1% | 52% |
| Washington County, VT | 42 mi | 0% | 35% |
| Chittenden County, VT | 47 mi | 3% | 39% |
| Coos County, NH | 49 mi | under 1% | 53% |
| Grand Isle County, VT | 51 mi | 21% | 65% |
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