Lincoln County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 8% of Lincoln County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 10%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 98.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 42% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Lincoln County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 40.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.6% |
| Mapped soil | 165,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Georgeville | 25% | 0% |
| Pacolet | 12% | 0% |
| Herndon | 8% | n/a |
| Cecil | 6% | 0% |
| Badin | 5% | n/a |
| Helena | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA645 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 29.58 in, 15.72 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.30 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 8% and a shallow water table on 10% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Lincoln County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
98.6% 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 27 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 | 98.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Lincoln County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.30 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 29.58 in (-15.72) |
| 2025 | 39.42 in (-5.88) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 81.55 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 29.27 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WASHINGTON 2 ESE (15 mi away) | 12.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,529 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $165,900 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCormick County, SC | 11 mi | 9% | 19% |
| Wilkes County, GA | 17 mi | 6% | 10% |
| Columbia County, GA | 20 mi | 7% | 12% |
| McDuffie County, GA | 22 mi | 2% | 13% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 28 mi | 3% | 18% |
| Taliaferro County, GA | 29 mi | 18% | 55% |
| Warren County, GA | 30 mi | 3% | 12% |
| Abbeville County, SC | 30 mi | 5% | 22% |
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