HomeWest VirginiaHardy County

Hardy County, West Virginia

A shallow water table limits basements on 19% of Hardy County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

3%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

19%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

43%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Hardy County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)3.2%
High water table (limits basements)19.0%
Septic fields very limited96.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.2%
Mapped soil374,100 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Berks32%under 1%
Weikert8%under 1%
Dekalb8%n/a
Lehew7%n/a
Hazleton5%0%
Laidig5%n/a
Shenandoah County: 14%Grant County: 22%Hampshire County: 18%Mineral County: 21%Page County: 16%Frederick County: 15%Warren County: 7%Rockingham County: 14%Hardy County ShenandoahGrantHampshireMineralPageFrederickWarrenRockinghamHardy
Hardy 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 WV628 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

On 19% of Hardy 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: 32.39 in, 8.60 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 40.99 in.

USDA rates 96% 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 49 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 33 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Hardy County since 2016.

Rain

Average year, 1991-202040.99 in
12 months to August 202632.39 in (-8.60)
202535.52 in (-5.47)
Wettest year since 18952018: 60.01 in
Driest year since 18951930: 19.25 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WOODSTOCK 2 NE (22 mi away)8.6

Homes

Housing units8,284
Median year built1984
Built before 198043%
Built 2000 or later24%
Owner-occupied77%
Median value, owner-occupied$166,300
Single-family detached77%

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
Shenandoah County, VA 18 mi 37% 14%
Grant County, WV 20 mi 6% 22%
Hampshire County, WV 24 mi 1% 18%
Mineral County, WV 28 mi 2% 21%
Page County, VA 33 mi 3% 16%
Frederick County, VA 33 mi 16% 15%
Warren County, VA 35 mi 2% 7%
Rockingham County, VA 35 mi 20% 14%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status