Marion County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Marion County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, 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 no flood losses here since 2016. 28% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
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 Marion County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 54.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 234,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Troup | 29% | 0% |
| Orangeburg | 11% | 0% |
| Ailey | 11% | n/a |
| Cowarts | 11% | n/a |
| Lakeland | 11% | 0% |
| Bibb | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA620 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 42.03 in, 8.22 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.25 in.
USDA rates 55% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Marion 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
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Marion County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.25 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.03 in (-8.22) |
| 2025 | 41.99 in (-8.26) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 70.45 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 28.80 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BUENA VISTA (3 mi away) | 15.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,544 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 28% |
| Built 2000 or later | 34% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $154,100 |
| Single-family detached | 55% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schley County, GA | 14 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Chattahoochee County, GA | 15 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Taylor County, GA | 21 mi | 2% | 10% |
| Webster County, GA | 22 mi | 0% | 20% |
| Muscogee County, GA | 23 mi | 1% | 28% |
| Talbot County, GA | 24 mi | 2% | 15% |
| Stewart County, GA | 27 mi | 0% | 17% |
| Macon County, GA | 28 mi | 2% | 41% |
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