Washington County, Vermont
A shallow water table limits basements on 35% of Washington County's mapped land, a higher share than 54% of US counties and the 10th highest of 14 Vermont counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
88.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 33.9% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 466 flood losses here since 2016, 75% of them in buildings with basements. 62% 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 Washington County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 35.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 444,800 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Tunbridge | 11% | n/a |
| Cabot | 10% | n/a |
| Lyman | 9% | n/a |
| Colonel | 7% | n/a |
| Peru | 7% | n/a |
| Vershire | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VT023 (2025-09-16)
What the numbers mean here
On 35% of Washington 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: 45.11 in, 0.62 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.73 in.
USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
88.4% 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 | 88.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
466 flood losses since 2016, $28.0 million paid. The worst year was 2023, with 340. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 75% basements, 16% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 7% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 19 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 340 |
| 2024 | 113 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.73 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 45.11 in (-0.62) |
| 2025 | 42.54 in (-3.19) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 58.43 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 31.17 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BARRE MONTPELIER AP (6 mi away) | 7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 31,004 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 62% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $315,000 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
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 | 22 mi | 0% | 24% |
| Orange County, VT | 24 mi | 0% | 36% |
| Chittenden County, VT | 25 mi | 3% | 39% |
| Caledonia County, VT | 28 mi | 0% | 49% |
| Addison County, VT | 31 mi | 5% | 53% |
| Orleans County, VT | 42 mi | 0% | 59% |
| Franklin County, VT | 42 mi | 1% | 52% |
| Grafton County, NH | 46 mi | 1% | 29% |
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