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Crawford County, Arkansas

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16% of Crawford County's mapped land, a higher share than 64% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 15%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 19 flood losses here since 2016. 35% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1991.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

16%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

15%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

35%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Crawford County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)15.6%
High water table (limits basements)14.5%
Septic fields very limited87.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)3.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)15.6%
Mapped soil387,207 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Enders33%n/a
Nella19%n/a
Mountainburg13%n/a
Leadvale8%n/a
Linker6%n/a
Spadra5%n/a
Franklin County: 15%Sebastian County: 5%Washington County: 20%Sequoyah County: 6%Adair County: 14%Logan County: 10%Madison County: 24%Johnson County: 5%Crawford County FranklinSebastianWashingtonSequoyahAdairLoganMadisonJohnsonCrawford
Crawford County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas AR033 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.1% by land area here, and 16% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 16% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 16% of Crawford County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 41.56 in, 10.52 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 52.08 in.

USDA rates 87% 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 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse100%
D2 severe or worse100%
D3 extreme or worse100%
D4 exceptional24.6%

Flood losses since 2016

19 flood losses since 2016, $843,322 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 10.

YearFlood losses
20160
20172
20181
201910
20204
20211
20220
20230
20240
20251
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202052.08 in
12 months to August 202641.56 in (-10.52)
202553.13 in (+1.05)
Wettest year since 18952015: 75.76 in
Driest year since 18951963: 25.06 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MOUNTAINBURG 2 NE (7 mi away)17.2

Homes

Housing units25,621
Median year built1991
Built before 198035%
Built 2000 or later30%
Owner-occupied76%
Median value, owner-occupied$182,800
Single-family detached77%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Franklin County, AR 20 mi 15% 19%
Sebastian County, AR 27 mi 5% 46%
Washington County, AR 27 mi 20% 24%
Sequoyah County, OK 29 mi 6% 26%
Adair County, OK 32 mi 14% 21%
Logan County, AR 38 mi 10% 33%
Madison County, AR 41 mi 24% 11%
Johnson County, AR 43 mi 5% 10%

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