Madison County, Arkansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 24% of Madison County's mapped land, a higher share than 75% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 11%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 36% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.
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 Madison County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 24.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 24.4% |
| Mapped soil | 535,981 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Enders | 23% | n/a |
| Leesburg | 16% | n/a |
| Mountainburg | 11% | n/a |
| Nella | 8% | n/a |
| Steprock | 8% | n/a |
| Nixa | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AR087 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.9% by land area here, and 24% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 24% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 24% of Madison County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 36.75 in, 13.04 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 49.79 in.
USDA rates 80% 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 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 30 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 | 98.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 80.7% |
| D4 exceptional | 3.4% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Madison County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 49.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.75 in (-13.04) |
| 2025 | 50.68 in (+0.89) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1945: 72.35 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 23.18 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ST PAUL 1 E (13 mi away) | 17.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,744 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $178,100 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County, AR | 25 mi | 22% | 16% |
| Washington County, AR | 28 mi | 20% | 24% |
| Newton County, AR | 29 mi | 16% | 2% |
| Johnson County, AR | 34 mi | 5% | 10% |
| Franklin County, AR | 36 mi | 15% | 19% |
| Benton County, AR | 37 mi | 3% | 47% |
| Boone County, AR | 41 mi | 19% | 23% |
| Crawford County, AR | 41 mi | 16% | 15% |
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