Blount County, Alabama
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 9% of Blount County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 10%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses here since 2016. 36% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.
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 Blount County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.9% |
| Mapped soil | 414,930 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Hector | 17% | n/a |
| Hartsells | 14% | n/a |
| Linker | 9% | n/a |
| Townley | 7% | n/a |
| Montevallo | 7% | n/a |
| Bodine | 6% | 0% |
How we count · survey areas AL009 (2025-08-31)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 54.43 in, 2.74 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.17 in.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 9% and a shallow water table on 10% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Blount County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 6 weeks, most recently on the April 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 3.1% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
5 flood losses since 2016, $55,327 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.17 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 54.43 in (-2.74) |
| 2025 | 55.89 in (-1.28) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1900: 76.50 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 31.10 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HANCEVILLE (14 mi away) | 19.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 24,918 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $175,200 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cullman County, AL | 20 mi | 0% | 21% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 23 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Marshall County, AL | 27 mi | 6% | 22% |
| Etowah County, AL | 31 mi | 4% | 15% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 35 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Morgan County, AL | 37 mi | 16% | 37% |
| Walker County, AL | 44 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Calhoun County, AL | 45 mi | 7% | 20% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 31, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status