Dade County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 6% of Dade County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 7%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 35.3% 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 2 flood losses here since 2016. 38% 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 Dade County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.8% |
| Mapped soil | 112,400 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Hartsells | 20% | n/a |
| Nauvoo | 14% | n/a |
| Hector | 11% | n/a |
| Bouldin | 7% | n/a |
| Nella | 5% | n/a |
| Fullerton | 4% | 0% |
How we count · survey areas GA619 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 43.96 in, 12.34 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 56.30 in.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on 7% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Dade County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
35.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 37 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 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 | 35.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 56.30 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.96 in (-12.34) |
| 2025 | 55.04 in (-1.26) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 74.56 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 35.31 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHICKAMAUGA 2 SW (11 mi away) | 17.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,431 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 38% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $198,500 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walker County, GA | 14 mi | 7% | 21% |
| Marion County, TN | 21 mi | under 1% | 7% |
| Catoosa County, GA | 21 mi | 18% | 22% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 27 mi | 8% | 13% |
| Jackson County, AL | 28 mi | 25% | 20% |
| Chattooga County, GA | 28 mi | 5% | 31% |
| Whitfield County, GA | 31 mi | 6% | 33% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 32 mi | 2% | 16% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status