Carroll County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Carroll County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 12%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 7.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 9 flood losses here since 2016. 33% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1991.
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 Carroll County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 12.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 52.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 322,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | 50% | 0% |
| Hulett | 12% | n/a |
| Davidson | 10% | n/a |
| Chewacla | 8% | n/a |
| Louisa | 5% | n/a |
| Tallapoosa | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA618 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 43.62 in, 11.35 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 54.97 in.
USDA rates 53% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 12% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Carroll County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
7.5% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 24 weeks, most recently on the June 16, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 7.5% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
9 flood losses since 2016, $695,705 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 54.97 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.62 in (-11.35) |
| 2025 | 49.71 in (-5.26) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 77.87 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 30.97 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CARROLLTON (1 mi away) | 16.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 47,840 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 33% |
| Built 2000 or later | 34% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $255,100 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haralson County, GA | 17 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Douglas County, GA | 20 mi | under 1% | 10% |
| Heard County, GA | 20 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Coweta County, GA | 24 mi | 0% | 14% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 26 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Paulding County, GA | 26 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Polk County, GA | 29 mi | 1% | 28% |
| Randolph County, AL | 30 mi | 0% | 11% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status