Lumpkin County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Lumpkin County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 7%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 13.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 9 flood losses here since 2016. 16% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1998.
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 Lumpkin County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 184,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Hayesville | 26% | 0% |
| Tallapoosa | 23% | n/a |
| Musella | 8% | n/a |
| Fannin | 6% | n/a |
| Tusquitee | 6% | n/a |
| Wickham | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA632 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 54.23 in, 10.07 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 64.30 in.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 7% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Lumpkin County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
13.5% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 30 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 13.5% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
9 flood losses since 2016, $229,310 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 6.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 64.30 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 54.23 in (-10.07) |
| 2025 | 57.44 in (-6.86) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 91.37 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 38.91 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLEVELAND (13 mi away) | 20.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 13,539 |
| Median year built | 1998 |
| Built before 1980 | 16% |
| Built 2000 or later | 45% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $307,900 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, GA | 13 mi | 0% | 7% |
| White County, GA | 15 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Union County, GA | 18 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Hall County, GA | 20 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Forsyth County, GA | 25 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Gilmer County, GA | 27 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Habersham County, GA | 27 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Fannin County, GA | 27 mi | 0% | 4% |
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