Harris County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Harris County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 13%, 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 3 flood losses here since 2016. 23% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1997.
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 Harris County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 13.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 28.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.8% |
| Mapped soil | 302,500 acres |
How we count · survey areas GA655 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 44.29 in, 7.25 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.54 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 13% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Harris 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 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 33 weeks, most recently on the June 2, 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
3 flood losses since 2016, $114,931 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.54 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.29 in (-7.25) |
| 2025 | 42.07 in (-9.47) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2009: 75.31 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 29.96 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COLUMBUS METRO AP (15 mi away) | 14.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 14,699 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 23% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 89% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $302,800 |
| Single-family detached | 89% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muscogee County, GA | 15 mi | 1% | 28% |
| Troup County, GA | 22 mi | 0% | 11% |
| Talbot County, GA | 22 mi | 2% | 15% |
| Meriwether County, GA | 25 mi | under 1% | 15% |
| Lee County, AL | 27 mi | 1% | 22% |
| Chattahoochee County, GA | 28 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Chambers County, AL | 31 mi | under 1% | 17% |
| Marion County, GA | 34 mi | 0% | 11% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status