Arkansas County, Arkansas
A shallow water table limits basements on 77% of Arkansas County's mapped land, a higher share than 86% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 21%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 26 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 54% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Arkansas County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 20.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 76.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 53.4% |
| Mapped soil | 661,357 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Stuttgart | 19% | n/a |
| Dewitt | 16% | n/a |
| Immanuel | 11% | n/a |
| Tichnor | 8% | n/a |
| Perry | 8% | 91% |
| Kobel | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AR001 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.6% by land area here, and 53% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 21% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 21% of Arkansas County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 77% of Arkansas 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: 33.42 in, 17.20 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.62 in.
USDA rates 78% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 52 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 100% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
26 flood losses since 2016, $492,014 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 11. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 67% slabs, 14% crawl spaces, 19% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 11 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.62 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.42 in (-17.20) |
| 2025 | 41.85 in (-8.77) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2009: 76.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1943: 32.28 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at STUTTGART 9 ESE (13 mi away) | 15.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,696 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $138,100 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, AR | 29 mi | 29% | 81% |
| Phillips County, AR | 31 mi | 28% | 78% |
| Lincoln County, AR | 31 mi | 31% | 63% |
| Jefferson County, AR | 32 mi | 36% | 65% |
| Desha County, AR | 33 mi | 55% | 70% |
| Prairie County, AR | 39 mi | 17% | 80% |
| Lonoke County, AR | 44 mi | 22% | 80% |
| Bolivar County, MS | 44 mi | 63% | 86% |
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