Prairie County, Arkansas
A shallow water table limits basements on 80% of Prairie County's mapped land, a higher share than 89% of US counties. 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 25 flood losses here since 2016. 52% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
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 Prairie County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 79.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 34.3% |
| Mapped soil | 432,274 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Immanuel | 15% | n/a |
| Dewitt | 12% | n/a |
| Calhoun | 11% | n/a |
| Kobel | 10% | n/a |
| Calloway | 9% | n/a |
| Stuttgart | 8% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AR680 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.9% by land area here, and 34% 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 Prairie County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 80% of Prairie 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: 34.86 in, 15.37 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.23 in.
USDA rates 81% 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 100% |
| D4 exceptional | 35.1% |
Flood losses since 2016
25 flood losses since 2016, $478,495 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 24.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 24 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.23 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.86 in (-15.37) |
| 2025 | 45.17 in (-5.06) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2009: 81.51 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1943: 31.29 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DES ARC (11 mi away) | 15.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,086 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $96,400 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lonoke County, AR | 20 mi | 22% | 80% |
| Monroe County, AR | 22 mi | 29% | 81% |
| Woodruff County, AR | 31 mi | 25% | 72% |
| White County, AR | 31 mi | 13% | 52% |
| Arkansas County, AR | 39 mi | 21% | 77% |
| Pulaski County, AR | 43 mi | 23% | 32% |
| Jefferson County, AR | 44 mi | 36% | 65% |
| Lee County, AR | 44 mi | 21% | 81% |
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