Clayton County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Clayton County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 12%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, after 26.7% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 73 flood losses here since 2016, 9% of them in buildings with basements. 35% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.
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 Clayton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 27.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 8.9% |
| Mapped soil | 95,200 acres |
How we count · survey areas GA625 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 38.26 in, 13.46 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.72 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 12% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Clayton County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 35 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 | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
73 flood losses since 2016, $1.9 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 31. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 9% basements, 33% slabs, 36% crawl spaces, 22% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 31 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.72 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.26 in (-13.46) |
| 2025 | 46.84 in (-4.88) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 73.37 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 30.43 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at JONESBORO (4 mi away) | 15.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 115,476 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 35% |
| Built 2000 or later | 31% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $222,300 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, GA | 11 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Henry County, GA | 16 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Fulton County, GA | 17 mi | under 1% | 11% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 19 mi | under 1% | 9% |
| Spalding County, GA | 21 mi | 3% | 17% |
| Douglas County, GA | 23 mi | under 1% | 10% |
| Rockdale County, GA | 23 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Coweta County, GA | 24 mi | 0% | 14% |
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