HomeWest VirginiaTaylor County

Taylor County, West Virginia

A shallow water table limits basements on 28% of Taylor County's mapped land and the 4th highest of 55 West Virginia counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses here since 2016. 51% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

28%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

51%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Taylor County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.9%
High water table (limits basements)28.4%
Septic fields very limited94.1%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.9%
Urban land, not rated1.3%
Mapped soil112,400 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Gilpin30%under 1%
Westmoreland18%0%
Ernest14%n/a
Culleoka13%n/a
Clarksburg5%n/a
Janelew3%n/a
Barbour County: 17%Marion County: 23%Harrison County: 19%Monongalia County: 24%Preston County: 25%Tucker County: 26%Upshur County: 29%Lewis County: 4%Taylor County BarbourMarionHarrisonMonongaliaPrestonTuckerUpshurLewisTaylor
Taylor 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 WV610 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

On 28% of Taylor 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: 47.20 in, 0.42 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.62 in.

USDA rates 94% 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 11 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 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

8 flood losses since 2016, $298,427 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 5.

YearFlood losses
20160
20172
20185
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20241
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202047.62 in
12 months to August 202647.20 in (-0.42)
202546.73 in (-0.89)
Wettest year since 18951996: 64.51 in
Driest year since 18951930: 26.05 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FAIRMONT (10 mi away)9.4

Homes

Housing units7,433
Median year built1979
Built before 198051%
Built 2000 or later21%
Owner-occupied84%
Median value, owner-occupied$148,800
Single-family detached78%

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
Barbour County, WV 14 mi 2% 17%
Marion County, WV 16 mi 11% 23%
Harrison County, WV 19 mi 10% 19%
Monongalia County, WV 21 mi 8% 24%
Preston County, WV 22 mi under 1% 25%
Tucker County, WV 30 mi 0% 26%
Upshur County, WV 31 mi 5% 29%
Lewis County, WV 34 mi 29% 4%

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