Baxter County, Arkansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 40% of Baxter County's mapped land, a higher share than 87% of US counties and the 10th highest of 75 Arkansas counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 13%.
59.7% 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. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.
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 Baxter County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 40.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 12.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 39.8% |
| Mapped soil | 375,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Doniphan | 19% | n/a |
| Arkana | 14% | n/a |
| Moko | 12% | n/a |
| Nixa | 7% | n/a |
| Gassville | 6% | n/a |
| Clarksville | 5% | under 1% |
How we count · survey areas AR005 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 40% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 40% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 59.7% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 40% of Baxter County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.42 in, 16.21 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.63 in.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
59.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 34 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 59.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 41.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
12 flood losses since 2016, $175,860 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 7.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.63 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.42 in (-16.21) |
| 2025 | 50.68 in (+3.05) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1927: 72.19 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 25.06 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MTN HOME 1 NNW (6 mi away) | 14.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 22,883 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 43% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $174,600 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, AR | 19 mi | 24% | 13% |
| Ozark County, MO | 26 mi | 36% | 43% |
| Izard County, AR | 27 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Fulton County, AR | 29 mi | 66% | 3% |
| Stone County, AR | 31 mi | 10% | 9% |
| Searcy County, AR | 33 mi | 22% | 5% |
| Boone County, AR | 42 mi | 19% | 23% |
| Howell County, MO | 42 mi | 7% | 36% |
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