Fulton County, Arkansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 66% of Fulton County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties and the highest of 75 Arkansas counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 22 flood losses here since 2016. 42% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1986.
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 Fulton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 66.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 65.8% |
| Mapped soil | 395,900 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Gepp | 22% | n/a |
| Gassville | 20% | n/a |
| Agnos | 19% | n/a |
| Brockwell | 11% | n/a |
| Doniphan | 5% | n/a |
| Arkana | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AR049 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.7% by land area here, and 66% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 66% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 66% of Fulton County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.58 in, 17.45 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 49.03 in.
USDA rates 82% 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 39 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 | 99.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 16.6% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
22 flood losses since 2016, $929,222 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 12.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 12 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 49.03 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.58 in (-17.45) |
| 2025 | 51.84 in (+2.81) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1927: 71.15 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 25.66 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SALEM (2 mi away) | 15.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,225 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 85% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $113,800 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Izard County, AR | 21 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Sharp County, AR | 23 mi | 48% | 4% |
| Howell County, MO | 27 mi | 7% | 36% |
| Baxter County, AR | 29 mi | 40% | 13% |
| Oregon County, MO | 31 mi | 11% | 33% |
| Ozark County, MO | 40 mi | 36% | 43% |
| Stone County, AR | 41 mi | 10% | 9% |
| Randolph County, AR | 44 mi | 40% | 40% |
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