Fulton County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Fulton County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 640 flood losses here since 2016, 21% of them in buildings with basements. 33% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Fulton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 29.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 32.8% |
| Mapped soil | 342,400 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Rion | 21% | n/a |
| Cecil | 13% | 0% |
| Grover | 4% | n/a |
| Appling | 4% | 0% |
| Cartecay | 4% | n/a |
| Pacolet | 3% | 0% |
How we count · survey areas GA121 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 39.09 in, 13.48 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 52.57 in.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Fulton County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 weeks, most recently on the June 16, 2026 map.
| Category, September 22, 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
640 flood losses since 2016, $26.0 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 279. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 21% basements, 22% slabs, 18% crawl spaces, 39% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 18 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 15 |
| 2017 | 63 |
| 2018 | 57 |
| 2019 | 24 |
| 2020 | 112 |
| 2021 | 30 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 22 |
| 2024 | 279 |
| 2025 | 17 |
| 2026 to date | 13 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 52.57 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 39.09 in (-13.48) |
| 2025 | 46.59 in (-5.98) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 73.91 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 31.12 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ATLANTA HARTSFIELD INTL AP (11 mi away) | 14.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 507,119 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 33% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 54% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $458,800 |
| Single-family detached | 46% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobb County, GA | 12 mi | 1% | 12% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 14 mi | under 1% | 9% |
| Clayton County, GA | 17 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Douglas County, GA | 18 mi | under 1% | 10% |
| Paulding County, GA | 25 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Fayette County, GA | 26 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Rockdale County, GA | 27 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Gwinnett County, GA | 28 mi | under 1% | 16% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status