Dallas County, Alabama
A shallow water table limits basements on 51% of Dallas County's mapped land, a higher share than 67% of US counties and the 8th highest of 67 Alabama counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22%.
83.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 84.1% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 16 flood losses here since 2016. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1977.
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 Dallas County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 50.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 31.1% |
| Mapped soil | 636,270 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Savannah | 10% | n/a |
| Kipling | 9% | n/a |
| Leeper | 6% | n/a |
| Oktibbeha | 5% | n/a |
| Minter | 5% | n/a |
| Luverne | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AL047 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.6% by land area here, and 31% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 83.1% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 22% of Dallas County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 51% of Dallas 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: 40.35 in, 13.44 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.79 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
83.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 21 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 83.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 36.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 8.8% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
16 flood losses since 2016, $154,360 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.35 in (-13.44) |
| 2025 | 44.51 in (-9.28) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1961: 75.13 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 29.78 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SELMA (8 mi away) | 17.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 18,936 |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $94,600 |
| Single-family detached | 59% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry County, AL | 24 mi | 23% | 46% |
| Wilcox County, AL | 26 mi | 33% | 41% |
| Lowndes County, AL | 30 mi | 55% | 41% |
| Autauga County, AL | 31 mi | under 1% | 27% |
| Marengo County, AL | 40 mi | 36% | 47% |
| Hale County, AL | 41 mi | 18% | 45% |
| Chilton County, AL | 42 mi | 3% | 19% |
| Bibb County, AL | 47 mi | 1% | 30% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status