Henry County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Henry County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 9%, 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 36.1% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 44 flood losses here since 2016, 12% of them in buildings with basements. 10% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2001.
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 Henry County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 27.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 205,500 acres |
How we count · survey areas GA625 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 37.49 in, 13.58 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.07 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 9% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Henry 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
44 flood losses since 2016, $896,573 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 16. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 12% basements, 27% slabs, 6% crawl spaces, 55% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 16 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 37.49 in (-13.58) |
| 2025 | 48.83 in (-2.24) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 74.57 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 30.15 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at JONESBORO (13 mi away) | 15.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 91,424 |
| Median year built | 2001 |
| Built before 1980 | 10% |
| Built 2000 or later | 53% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $313,900 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spalding County, GA | 15 mi | 3% | 17% |
| Rockdale County, GA | 16 mi | 0% | 9% |
| Butts County, GA | 16 mi | under 1% | 13% |
| Clayton County, GA | 16 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Newton County, GA | 19 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Fayette County, GA | 20 mi | 0% | 12% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 22 mi | under 1% | 9% |
| Lamar County, GA | 26 mi | under 1% | 12% |
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