Highlands County, Florida
A shallow water table limits basements on 80% of Highlands County's mapped land, a higher share than 89% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
97.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 113 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 31% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.
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 Highlands County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 80.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 0.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 708,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Basinger | 13% | n/a |
| Myakka | 11% | 100% |
| Immokalee | 11% | n/a |
| Astatula | 5% | n/a |
| Satellite | 4% | n/a |
| Felda | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas FL055 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
On 80% of Highlands 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, 16.88 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.74 in.
USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
97.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 48 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 42 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 97.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
113 flood losses since 2016, $1.9 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 69. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 78% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 10 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 69 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 33 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.74 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.86 in (-16.88) |
| 2025 | 47.73 in (-4.01) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1947: 72.71 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2000: 28.96 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DESOTO CITY 8 SW (11 mi away) | 14.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 58,635 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 31% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $187,900 |
| Single-family detached | 60% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okeechobee County, FL | 28 mi | 0% | 85% |
| Glades County, FL | 28 mi | 0% | 75% |
| DeSoto County, FL | 30 mi | under 1% | 99% |
| Hardee County, FL | 31 mi | under 1% | 99% |
| Polk County, FL | 47 mi | 6% | 68% |
| Charlotte County, FL | 51 mi | 0% | 77% |
| Osceola County, FL | 51 mi | 1% | 88% |
| Indian River County, FL | 54 mi | 1% | 90% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status