Windham County, Vermont
A shallow water table limits basements on 29% of Windham County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 47 flood losses here since 2016, 51% of them in buildings with basements. 60% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.
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 Windham County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 29.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 511,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Houghtonville | 11% | n/a |
| Rawsonville | 10% | n/a |
| Mundal | 9% | n/a |
| Worden | 8% | n/a |
| Tunbridge | 7% | n/a |
| Hogback | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VT025 (2025-09-16)
What the numbers mean here
On 29% of Windham 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: 44.22 in, 6.34 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.56 in.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 20 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 | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
47 flood losses since 2016, $1.5 million paid. The worst year was 2023, with 25. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 51% basements, 18% slabs, 15% crawl spaces, 15% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 21 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 14 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 25 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.56 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.22 in (-6.34) |
| 2025 | 46.80 in (-3.76) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 68.44 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1964: 34.81 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at KEENE (20 mi away) | 11 |
Homes
| Housing units | 30,183 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $279,600 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bennington County, VT | 20 mi | 0% | 32% |
| Cheshire County, NH | 24 mi | 4% | 27% |
| Franklin County, MA | 29 mi | 0% | 36% |
| Sullivan County, NH | 36 mi | 2% | 26% |
| Windsor County, VT | 40 mi | 0% | 27% |
| Washington County, NY | 42 mi | 12% | 34% |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 45 mi | 0% | 49% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 45 mi | under 1% | 47% |
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