Pike County, Arkansas
A shallow water table limits basements on 23% of Pike County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17%.
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. 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 Pike County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 22.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 32.0% |
| Mapped soil | 392,755 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Sherless | 21% | n/a |
| Littlefir | 11% | n/a |
| Peanutrock | 9% | n/a |
| Nashoba | 6% | n/a |
| Tiak | 5% | n/a |
| Carnasaw | 5% | 0% |
How we count · survey areas AR109 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and 32% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 17% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 17% of Pike County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 23% of Pike 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: 44.30 in, 12.78 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.08 in.
USDA rates 84% 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 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 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 | 99.8% |
| D4 exceptional | 8.4% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Pike County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.08 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.30 in (-12.78) |
| 2025 | 56.71 in (-0.37) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2009: 84.27 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 32.20 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MURFREESBORO 1W (6 mi away) | 17.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,324 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 44% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $121,600 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County, AR | 20 mi | 21% | 31% |
| Montgomery County, AR | 27 mi | 5% | 26% |
| Clark County, AR | 29 mi | 24% | 55% |
| Hempstead County, AR | 29 mi | 47% | 62% |
| Sevier County, AR | 35 mi | 20% | 56% |
| Nevada County, AR | 40 mi | 19% | 71% |
| Polk County, AR | 40 mi | 5% | 14% |
| Garland County, AR | 41 mi | 10% | 7% |
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