Garland County, Arkansas
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 10% of Garland County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 7%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 42 flood losses here since 2016, 10% of them in buildings with basements. 44% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Garland County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.3% |
| Mapped soil | 470,023 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Carnasaw | 22% | 86% |
| Bismarck | 19% | n/a |
| Clebit | 8% | n/a |
| Pirum | 7% | n/a |
| Sherless | 6% | n/a |
| Yanush | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AR051 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 34.52 in, 20.71 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 55.23 in.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 10% and a shallow water table on 7% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Garland County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 41 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 69.2% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
42 flood losses since 2016, $662,606 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 13. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 10% basements, 33% slabs, 47% crawl spaces, 10% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 13 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 55.23 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.52 in (-20.71) |
| 2025 | 50.27 in (-4.96) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 81.39 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 32.08 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BLAKELY MTN DAM (3 mi away) | 18.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 52,760 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 44% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $194,300 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Spring County, AR | 22 mi | 14% | 35% |
| Saline County, AR | 27 mi | 34% | 24% |
| Perry County, AR | 28 mi | 38% | 17% |
| Montgomery County, AR | 30 mi | 5% | 26% |
| Yell County, AR | 32 mi | 20% | 31% |
| Clark County, AR | 36 mi | 24% | 55% |
| Pike County, AR | 41 mi | 17% | 23% |
| Grant County, AR | 46 mi | 5% | 84% |
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