Jackson County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Jackson County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 10%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 8.7% 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. 18% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2002.
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 Jackson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 17.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 218,900 acres |
How we count · survey areas GA606 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 40.36 in, 11.36 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.72 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 10% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Jackson County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
8.7% 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 25 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 | 8.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $16,653 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.72 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.36 in (-11.36) |
| 2025 | 47.38 in (-4.34) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 77.27 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1904: 31.96 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COMMERCE 4 NNW (10 mi away) | 16.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 30,745 |
| Median year built | 2002 |
| Built before 1980 | 18% |
| Built 2000 or later | 57% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $345,000 |
| Single-family detached | 82% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow County, GA | 13 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Banks County, GA | 16 mi | 0% | 11% |
| Clarke County, GA | 17 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Hall County, GA | 20 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Madison County, GA | 20 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Oconee County, GA | 22 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Franklin County, GA | 25 mi | under 1% | 10% |
| Walton County, GA | 26 mi | 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