Faulkner County, Arkansas
A shallow water table limits basements on 38% of Faulkner County's mapped land, a higher share than 56% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 95.7% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 122 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 18% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1998.
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 Faulkner County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 37.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.5% |
| Mapped soil | 425,172 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Mountainburg | 23% | n/a |
| Linker | 22% | n/a |
| Leadvale | 18% | n/a |
| Taft | 11% | n/a |
| Enders | 8% | n/a |
| Perry | 2% | 91% |
How we count · survey areas AR045 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
On 38% of Faulkner 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: 35.74 in, 16.50 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 52.24 in.
USDA rates 92% 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 32 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 | 95.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 81.1% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
122 flood losses since 2016, $4.7 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 65. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 44% slabs, 24% crawl spaces, 30% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 21 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 24 |
| 2018 | 13 |
| 2019 | 65 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 52.24 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.74 in (-16.50) |
| 2025 | 54.67 in (+2.43) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 77.80 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1943: 32.11 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CONWAY (9 mi away) | 16.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 53,650 |
| Median year built | 1998 |
| Built before 1980 | 18% |
| Built 2000 or later | 47% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $232,700 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conway County, AR | 21 mi | 11% | 27% |
| Pulaski County, AR | 26 mi | 23% | 32% |
| Van Buren County, AR | 33 mi | 17% | 3% |
| White County, AR | 34 mi | 13% | 52% |
| Cleburne County, AR | 36 mi | 9% | 6% |
| Perry County, AR | 36 mi | 38% | 17% |
| Lonoke County, AR | 37 mi | 22% | 80% |
| Saline County, AR | 39 mi | 34% | 24% |
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