Walker County, Alabama
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Walker County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, 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 12 flood losses here since 2016. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Walker County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 517,230 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sipsey | 25% | n/a |
| Townley | 21% | n/a |
| Sunlight | 15% | n/a |
| Montevallo | 10% | n/a |
| Nauvoo | 6% | n/a |
| Brilliant | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AL127 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 49.59 in, 7.88 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.47 in.
USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Walker 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 19 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the April 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 99.8% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
12 flood losses since 2016, $250,823 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.47 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 49.59 in (-7.88) |
| 2025 | 53.16 in (-4.31) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2009: 79.82 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 31.89 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BANKHEAD L&D (24 mi away) | 20 |
Homes
| Housing units | 30,366 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $135,900 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winston County, AL | 25 mi | 0% | 11% |
| Fayette County, AL | 27 mi | 2% | 26% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 29 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Cullman County, AL | 34 mi | 0% | 21% |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 37 mi | 1% | 16% |
| Marion County, AL | 41 mi | under 1% | 29% |
| Blount County, AL | 44 mi | 9% | 10% |
| Lamar County, AL | 45 mi | under 1% | 44% |
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