Van Buren County, Arkansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17% of Van Buren County's mapped land, a higher share than 65% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
44.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 0% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 38% 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 Van Buren County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.5% |
| Mapped soil | 463,443 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Steprock | 29% | n/a |
| Enders | 26% | n/a |
| Mountainburg | 11% | n/a |
| Linker | 10% | n/a |
| Nella | 9% | n/a |
| Kenn | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AR141 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 2.5% by land area here, and 17% 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: 44.6% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 17% of Van Buren County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 37.39 in, 15.64 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.03 in.
USDA rates 78% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
44.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 47 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 44.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $5,377 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 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 | 53.03 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 37.39 in (-15.64) |
| 2025 | 52.75 in (-0.28) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 80.59 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 31.46 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLINTON (4 mi away) | 17.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,725 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 38% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $135,700 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Searcy County, AR | 23 mi | 22% | 5% |
| Conway County, AR | 24 mi | 11% | 27% |
| Stone County, AR | 28 mi | 10% | 9% |
| Cleburne County, AR | 29 mi | 9% | 6% |
| Pope County, AR | 30 mi | 12% | 13% |
| Faulkner County, AR | 33 mi | 6% | 38% |
| Newton County, AR | 44 mi | 16% | 2% |
| Marion County, AR | 47 mi | 24% | 13% |
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