Etowah County, Alabama
A shallow water table limits basements on 15% of Etowah County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 18 flood losses here since 2016. 57% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Etowah County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 15.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 76.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.6% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.8% |
| Mapped soil | 352,510 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Hartsells | 12% | n/a |
| Minvale | 11% | n/a |
| Conasauga | 10% | n/a |
| Linker | 7% | n/a |
| Townley | 7% | n/a |
| Nella | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AL055 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
On 15% of Etowah 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: 47.97 in, 7.80 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 55.77 in.
USDA rates 77% 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 30 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 70.4% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
18 flood losses since 2016, $153,893 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 5.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 55.77 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 47.97 in (-7.80) |
| 2025 | 49.82 in (-5.95) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1932: 73.02 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 31.74 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GADSDEN (3 mi away) | 18.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 47,603 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 57% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $167,100 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, AL | 23 mi | 7% | 20% |
| Marshall County, AL | 24 mi | 6% | 22% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 28 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Blount County, AL | 31 mi | 9% | 10% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 31 mi | 2% | 16% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 33 mi | 9% | 14% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 39 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Talladega County, AL | 48 mi | 1% | 20% |
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