Pickens County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Pickens County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 7%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 42.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 46.1% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 21% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1996.
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 Pickens County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 148,800 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Tallapoosa | 45% | n/a |
| Talladega | 15% | n/a |
| Madison | 11% | 0% |
| Hayesville | 7% | 0% |
| Dekalb | 3% | n/a |
| Cartecay | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA622 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 49.57 in, 8.13 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.70 in.
USDA rates 85% 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 Pickens County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
42.2% 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 July 14, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 42.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
7 flood losses since 2016, $67,097 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.70 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 49.57 in (-8.13) |
| 2025 | 51.35 in (-6.35) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 82.90 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 34.88 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at JASPER 1 NNW (3 mi away) | 17.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 15,561 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 21% |
| Built 2000 or later | 41% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $332,700 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County, GA | 15 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Gilmer County, GA | 16 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Dawson County, GA | 18 mi | 0% | 7% |
| Gordon County, GA | 22 mi | 6% | 23% |
| Bartow County, GA | 25 mi | 0% | 18% |
| Forsyth County, GA | 26 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| Murray County, GA | 27 mi | 4% | 18% |
| Lumpkin County, GA | 29 mi | 0% | 7% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status