Monroe County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 2% of Monroe County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 14%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 15 flood losses here since 2016. 24% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1995.
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 Monroe County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 13.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 29.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.6% |
| Mapped soil | 254,300 acres |
How we count · survey areas GA207 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 35.15 in, 12.32 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.47 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on 14% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Monroe County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% 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 40 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 98.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
15 flood losses since 2016, $484,280 paid. The worst year was 2023, with 5.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.47 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.15 in (-12.32) |
| 2025 | 48.46 in (+0.99) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 73.28 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 28.31 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MONTICELLO (25 mi away) | 14.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,577 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 24% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $271,200 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar County, GA | 14 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Butts County, GA | 19 mi | under 1% | 13% |
| Bibb County, GA | 20 mi | 6% | 22% |
| Jones County, GA | 21 mi | 3% | 10% |
| Crawford County, GA | 22 mi | 16% | 17% |
| Upson County, GA | 23 mi | 3% | 10% |
| Jasper County, GA | 25 mi | 3% | 10% |
| Spalding County, GA | 27 mi | 3% | 17% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status