Sumter County, Alabama
A shallow water table limits basements on 62% of Sumter County's mapped land, a higher share than 76% of US counties and the 3rd highest of 67 Alabama counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 37%.
25.4% 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. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
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 Sumter County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 36.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 62.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 36.6% |
| Mapped soil | 584,710 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Luverne | 14% | n/a |
| Kipling | 12% | n/a |
| Demopolis | 11% | n/a |
| Wilcox | 10% | n/a |
| Sucarnoochee | 6% | n/a |
| Savannah | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AL119 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.6% by land area here, and 37% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 37% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 25.4% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 37% of Sumter County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 62% of Sumter 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: 46.82 in, 7.25 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 54.07 in.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
25.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 39 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 15 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 | 25.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 4.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
5 flood losses since 2016, $123,517 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 54.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.82 in (-7.25) |
| 2025 | 51.48 in (-2.59) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 76.17 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 30.95 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GAINESVILLE LOCK (17 mi away) | 17.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,356 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $82,600 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, AL | 22 mi | 32% | 59% |
| Kemper County, MS | 27 mi | 27% | 58% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 30 mi | 8% | 31% |
| Marengo County, AL | 33 mi | 36% | 47% |
| Hale County, AL | 35 mi | 18% | 45% |
| Noxubee County, MS | 41 mi | 60% | 80% |
| Choctaw County, AL | 43 mi | 10% | 35% |
| Clarke County, MS | 48 mi | 15% | 46% |
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