Marion County, Florida
A shallow water table limits basements on 35% of Marion County's mapped land, a higher share than 53% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 5%.
13.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 73.2% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 106 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 24% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
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 Marion County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 34.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.6% |
| Mapped soil | 1,096,469 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Candler | 21% | n/a |
| Astatula | 17% | n/a |
| Arredondo | 7% | n/a |
| Blichton | 3% | n/a |
| Kendrick | 3% | n/a |
| Tavares | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas FL608 (2025-08-28), FL609 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
On 35% of Marion 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: 36.68 in, 15.36 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 52.04 in.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
13.3% 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 30 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 13.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
106 flood losses since 2016, $4.9 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 64. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 93% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 4% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 64 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 19 |
| 2024 | 8 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 4 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 52.04 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.68 in (-15.36) |
| 2025 | 41.23 in (-10.81) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1964: 70.45 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2000: 34.27 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OCALA (3 mi away) | 14.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 188,277 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 24% |
| Built 2000 or later | 38% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $243,100 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County, FL | 31 mi | 1% | 68% |
| Sumter County, FL | 34 mi | 2% | 77% |
| Lake County, FL | 36 mi | 4% | 51% |
| Alachua County, FL | 37 mi | 3% | 50% |
| Citrus County, FL | 41 mi | under 1% | 39% |
| Levy County, FL | 48 mi | 5% | 65% |
| Flagler County, FL | 49 mi | 6% | 93% |
| Bradford County, FL | 52 mi | 0% | 93% |
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