Clay County, Arkansas
A shallow water table limits basements on 81% of Clay County's mapped land, a higher share than 89% of US counties and the 8th highest of 75 Arkansas 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 56 flood losses here since 2016, 3% of them in buildings with basements. 66% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Clay County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 21.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 81.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 21.6% |
| Mapped soil | 410,311 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Foley | 12% | n/a |
| Amagon | 9% | n/a |
| Kobel | 8% | n/a |
| Loring | 8% | 99% |
| Fountain | 7% | n/a |
| Jackport | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AR021 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.6% by land area here, and 22% 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 Clay County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 81% of Clay 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: 32.33 in, 17.51 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 49.84 in.
USDA rates 95% 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 43 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 | 91.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
56 flood losses since 2016, $2.0 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 35. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 3% basements, 23% slabs, 33% crawl spaces, 43% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 32 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 35 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 49.84 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.33 in (-17.51) |
| 2025 | 50.84 in (+1.00) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 72.24 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 28.61 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CORNING (10 mi away) | 14.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,492 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 66% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $94,600 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
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, AR | 19 mi | 21% | 77% |
| Butler County, MO | 24 mi | 8% | 70% |
| Dunklin County, MO | 25 mi | 29% | 73% |
| Ripley County, MO | 32 mi | 16% | 33% |
| Randolph County, AR | 34 mi | 40% | 40% |
| Pemiscot County, MO | 37 mi | 41% | 89% |
| Craighead County, AR | 39 mi | 9% | 85% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 42 mi | 21% | 87% |
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