Douglas County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Douglas County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 10%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 19 flood losses here since 2016. 25% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1996.
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 Douglas County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 51.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.4% |
| Mapped soil | 129,700 acres |
How we count · survey areas GA097 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 40.39 in, 13.00 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.39 in.
USDA rates 52% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 10% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Douglas 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 39 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 34 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 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
19 flood losses since 2016, $114,361 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.39 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.39 in (-13.00) |
| 2025 | 46.22 in (-7.17) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 75.35 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 29.15 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ATLANTA HARTSFIELD INTL AP (19 mi away) | 14.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 56,187 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 25% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $296,900 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paulding County, GA | 16 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Fulton County, GA | 18 mi | under 1% | 11% |
| Cobb County, GA | 20 mi | 1% | 12% |
| Carroll County, GA | 20 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Clayton County, GA | 23 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Coweta County, GA | 24 mi | 0% | 14% |
| Fayette County, GA | 25 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Haralson County, GA | 27 mi | under 1% | 12% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status