Camden County, Georgia
A shallow water table limits basements on 92% of Camden County's mapped land, a higher share than 97% of US counties and the 7th highest of 159 Georgia counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 218 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 19% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1995.
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 Camden County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 91.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.7% |
| Mapped soil | 441,000 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bohicket | 14% | n/a |
| Mandarin | 12% | n/a |
| Pelham | 10% | 100% |
| Brookman | 8% | n/a |
| Bladen | 8% | n/a |
| Sapelo | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA616 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.3% by land area here, and 23% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
On 92% of Camden 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: 35.20 in, 15.30 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.50 in.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 50 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 43 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 6.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
218 flood losses since 2016, $5.0 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 153. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 54% slabs, 17% crawl spaces, 29% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 30 |
| 2017 | 153 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 14 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.50 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.20 in (-15.30) |
| 2025 | 43.13 in (-7.37) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1947: 74.57 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1931: 30.07 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BRUNSWICK (19 mi away) | 14.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 23,671 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 19% |
| Built 2000 or later | 39% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $261,400 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glynn County, GA | 22 mi | 30% | 87% |
| Nassau County, FL | 22 mi | 7% | 93% |
| Brantley County, GA | 28 mi | under 1% | 96% |
| Charlton County, GA | 31 mi | 1% | 99% |
| Duval County, FL | 40 mi | 6% | 78% |
| McIntosh County, GA | 43 mi | 25% | 81% |
| Pierce County, GA | 45 mi | 0% | 87% |
| Wayne County, GA | 47 mi | under 1% | 85% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status