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West Virginia soil by county

Across West Virginia's mapped land, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 11% and a shallow water table limits basements on 13%.

Highest clay shares: Wirt County (50%), Jackson County (47%), Wood County (45%), Ritchie County (44%), Jefferson County (37%). Highest water-table shares: Marshall County (48%), Randolph County (32%), Upshur County (29%), Taylor County (28%), Wayne County (28%).

Data as of September 22, 2026 · 55 counties

Barbour County: 2%Berkeley County: 8%Boone County: 0%Braxton County: 25%Brooke County: 1%Cabell County: 21%Calhoun County: 34%Clay County: 8%Doddridge County: 25%Fayette County: 0%Gilmer County: 26%Grant County: 6%Greenbrier County: 0%Hampshire County: 1%Hancock County: 1%Hardy County: 3%Harrison County: 10%Jackson County: 47%Jefferson County: 37%Kanawha County: 13%Lewis County: 29%Lincoln County: 10%Logan County: 0%Marion County: 11%Marshall County: 5%Mason County: 32%McDowell County: 0%Mercer County: 0%Mineral County: 2%Mingo County: 0%Monongalia County: 8%Monroe County: 2%Morgan County: 0%Nicholas County: 0%Ohio County: 1%Pendleton County: 6%Pleasants County: 32%Pocahontas County: 0%Preston County: 0%Putnam County: 33%Raleigh County: 0%Randolph County: 0%Ritchie County: 44%Roane County: 36%Summers County: 0%Taylor County: 1%Tucker County: 0%Tyler County: 34%Upshur County: 5%Wayne County: 17%Webster County: 0%Wetzel County: 27%Wirt County: 50%Wood County: 45%Wyoming County: 0%
Expansive clay: share of mapped land where shrink-swell clay limits houses without basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+
Barbour County: 17%Berkeley County: 21%Boone County: 1%Braxton County: 11%Brooke County: 9%Cabell County: 11%Calhoun County: 5%Clay County: 1%Doddridge County: 7%Fayette County: 7%Gilmer County: 5%Grant County: 22%Greenbrier County: 8%Hampshire County: 18%Hancock County: 11%Hardy County: 19%Harrison County: 19%Jackson County: 9%Jefferson County: 14%Kanawha County: 5%Lewis County: 4%Lincoln County: 4%Logan County: 1%Marion County: 23%Marshall County: 48%Mason County: 16%McDowell County: 0%Mercer County: 11%Mineral County: 21%Mingo County: 0%Monongalia County: 24%Monroe County: 14%Morgan County: 23%Nicholas County: 21%Ohio County: 7%Pendleton County: 10%Pleasants County: 5%Pocahontas County: 7%Preston County: 25%Putnam County: 9%Raleigh County: 8%Randolph County: 32%Ritchie County: 10%Roane County: 6%Summers County: 8%Taylor County: 28%Tucker County: 26%Tyler County: 9%Upshur County: 29%Wayne County: 28%Webster County: 20%Wetzel County: 7%Wirt County: 17%Wood County: 21%Wyoming County: 1%
High water table: share of mapped land where a shallow water table limits basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

Every county in West Virginia

Select a column heading to sort.
Barbour County 2% 17% 0% 6 1976
Berkeley County 8% 21% 8% 30 1996
Boone County 0% 1% 0% 23 1976
Braxton County 25% 11% 0% 6 1977
Brooke County 1% 9% 0% 41 1966
Cabell County 21% 11% 0% 187 1971
Calhoun County 34% 5% 0% 5 1975
Clay County 8% 1% 0% 42 1985
Doddridge County 25% 7% 0% 6 1977
Fayette County 0% 7% 0% 47 1972
Gilmer County 26% 5% 0% 4 1974
Grant County 6% 22% 0% 4 1980
Greenbrier County 0% 8% 0% 358 1977
Hampshire County 1% 18% 2% 9 1986
Hancock County 1% 11% 0% 15 1959
Hardy County 3% 19% 4% 0 1984
Harrison County 10% 19% 0% 42 1965
Jackson County 47% 9% 0% 17 1979
Jefferson County 37% 14% 95% 18 1991
Kanawha County 13% 5% 0% 590 1966
Lewis County 29% 4% 0% 54 1977
Lincoln County 10% 4% 0% 24 1983
Logan County 0% 1% 0% 92 1982
Marion County 11% 23% 0% 65 1961
Marshall County 5% 48% 0% 69 1961
Mason County 32% 16% 0% 11 1978
McDowell County 0% under 1% 0% 69 1958
Mercer County under 1% 11% 0% 34 1974
Mineral County 2% 21% 0% 7 1977
Mingo County 0% under 1% 0% 129 1982
Monongalia County 8% 24% 0% 33 1988
Monroe County 2% 14% 0% 22 1978
Morgan County under 1% 23% 0% 12 1987
Nicholas County under 1% 21% 0% 74 1981
Ohio County 1% 7% 0% 192 1956
Pendleton County 6% 10% 0% 2 1977
Pleasants County 32% 5% 0% 1 1976
Pocahontas County 0% 7% 0% 16 1982
Preston County under 1% 25% 0% 7 1982
Putnam County 33% 9% 0% 54 1989
Raleigh County 0% 8% 0% 26 1977
Randolph County 0% 32% 0% 32 1977
Ritchie County 44% 10% 0% 2 1975
Roane County 36% 6% 0% 28 1976
Summers County under 1% 8% 0% 90 1974
Taylor County 1% 28% 0% 8 1979
Tucker County 0% 26% 0% 3 1983
Tyler County 34% 9% 0% 4 1968
Upshur County 5% 29% 0% 40 1979
Wayne County 17% 28% 0% 40 1976
Webster County 0% 20% 0% 52 1975
Wetzel County 27% 7% 0% 42 1962
Wirt County 50% 17% 0% 1 1985
Wood County 45% 21% 0% 55 1970
Wyoming County 0% 1% 0% 52 1974

How these shares are counted

Shares are of mapped land in USDA's soil survey (SSURGO), weighted by each soil's share of every map unit. Drought is the US Drought Monitor's D1-or-worse share on the September 22, 2026 map. Flood losses are FEMA NFIP records since 2016. Sources and methods.