HomeWest VirginiaPreston County

Preston County, West Virginia

A shallow water table limits basements on 25% of Preston County's mapped land and the 7th highest of 55 West Virginia counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 47% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

25%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

47%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Preston County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.4%
High water table (limits basements)25.3%
Septic fields very limited96.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.5%
Mapped soil416,900 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Gilpin35%under 1%
Ernest14%n/a
Dekalb13%n/a
Calvin6%n/a
Berks3%under 1%
Latham3%n/a
Garrett County: 47%Taylor County: 28%Monongalia County: 24%Tucker County: 26%Barbour County: 17%Marion County: 23%Fayette County: 49%Grant County: 22%Preston County GarrettTaylorMonongaliaTuckerBarbourMarionFayetteGrantPreston
Preston 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 WV077 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

On 25% of Preston 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: 48.05 in, 3.48 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.53 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 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 80.3% of its area, on the October 21, 2025 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

7 flood losses since 2016, $164,987 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 3.

YearFlood losses
20160
20171
20180
20190
20200
20213
20220
20230
20242
20251
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202051.53 in
12 months to August 202648.05 in (-3.48)
202552.13 in (+0.60)
Wettest year since 18952018: 70.87 in
Driest year since 18951930: 29.90 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TERRA ALTA #1 (7 mi away)10.9

Homes

Housing units15,183
Median year built1982
Built before 198047%
Built 2000 or later25%
Owner-occupied82%
Median value, owner-occupied$162,800
Single-family detached76%

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
Garrett County, MD 22 mi 0% 47%
Taylor County, WV 22 mi 1% 28%
Monongalia County, WV 24 mi 8% 24%
Tucker County, WV 25 mi 0% 26%
Barbour County, WV 29 mi 2% 17%
Marion County, WV 31 mi 11% 23%
Fayette County, PA 31 mi 2% 49%
Grant County, WV 36 mi 6% 22%

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