Boone County, Arkansas
A shallow water table limits basements on 23% of Boone County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses here since 2016. 42% 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 Boone County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 22.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 19.0% |
| Mapped soil | 385,069 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Nixa | 15% | n/a |
| Noark | 15% | n/a |
| Arkana | 13% | n/a |
| Clarksville | 11% | 0% |
| Moko | 8% | n/a |
| Mountainburg | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AR009 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.6% by land area here, and 19% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 19% of Boone County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 23% of Boone 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: 38.41 in, 8.40 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.81 in.
USDA rates 90% 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 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 17 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 | 99.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 10.8% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
6 flood losses since 2016, $269,865 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 6.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 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 | 46.81 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.41 in (-8.40) |
| 2025 | 44.68 in (-2.13) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2008: 68.80 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 23.75 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HARRISON BOONE CO AP (5 mi away) | 12.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 17,459 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $188,900 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 | 22 mi | 24% | 13% |
| Taney County, MO | 24 mi | 23% | 43% |
| Carroll County, AR | 26 mi | 22% | 16% |
| Newton County, AR | 28 mi | 16% | 2% |
| Searcy County, AR | 35 mi | 22% | 5% |
| Stone County, MO | 37 mi | 8% | 17% |
| Madison County, AR | 41 mi | 24% | 11% |
| Baxter County, AR | 42 mi | 40% | 13% |
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