Randolph County, Alabama
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Randolph County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 11% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1986.
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 Randolph County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 57.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 374,070 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | 31% | 0% |
| Tallapoosa | 18% | n/a |
| Fruithurst | 16% | n/a |
| Louisa | 10% | n/a |
| Mantachie | 5% | n/a |
| Wedowee | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AL111 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.69 in, 8.91 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 55.60 in.
USDA rates 58% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Randolph County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
11% 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 11 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 50.5% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 11% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $15,829 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 55.60 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.69 in (-8.91) |
| 2025 | 51.24 in (-4.36) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1975: 77.09 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 31.53 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HEFLIN (25 mi away) | 18 |
Homes
| Housing units | 12,505 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 40% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $181,600 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heard County, GA | 19 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Clay County, AL | 23 mi | 2% | 15% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 26 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Chambers County, AL | 27 mi | under 1% | 17% |
| Carroll County, GA | 30 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Troup County, GA | 31 mi | 0% | 11% |
| Tallapoosa County, AL | 36 mi | 1% | 13% |
| Haralson County, GA | 37 mi | under 1% | 12% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 10, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status