Rabun County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Rabun County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 48.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 66% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 13 flood losses here since 2016. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
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 Rabun County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 241,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Saluda | 23% | n/a |
| Tusquitee | 14% | n/a |
| Bradson | 11% | n/a |
| Ashe | 9% | n/a |
| Porters | 8% | n/a |
| Hayesville | 8% | 0% |
How we count · survey areas GA651 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 47.00 in, 23.07 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 70.07 in.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Rabun County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
48.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 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 | 48.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
13 flood losses since 2016, $178,260 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 70.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 47.00 in (-23.07) |
| 2025 | 52.10 in (-17.97) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 96.22 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2016: 42.38 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLAYTON 1 SSW (1 mi away) | 23 |
Homes
| Housing units | 12,263 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $295,200 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habersham County, GA | 19 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Towns County, GA | 19 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Macon County, NC | 19 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Oconee County, SC | 22 mi | under 1% | 5% |
| Clay County, NC | 23 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Stephens County, GA | 24 mi | 0% | 9% |
| White County, GA | 25 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Jackson County, NC | 32 mi | 0% | 3% |
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