Taliaferro County, Georgia
A shallow water table limits basements on 55% of Taliaferro County's mapped land, a higher share than 71% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18%.
97.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Taliaferro County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 55.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 60.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 19.6% |
| Mapped soil | 125,400 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Cataula | 20% | n/a |
| Georgeville | 13% | 0% |
| Lloyd | 12% | n/a |
| Cecil | 11% | 0% |
| Helena | 7% | n/a |
| Chewacla | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA639 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.1% by land area here, and 20% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 18% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 97.5% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Taliaferro County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 55% of Taliaferro County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.33 in, 12.45 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.78 in.
USDA rates 60% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
97.5% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 37 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 97.5% |
| 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 Taliaferro County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.78 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.33 in (-12.45) |
| 2025 | 42.46 in (-3.32) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 80.90 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 29.37 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WASHINGTON 2 ESE (15 mi away) | 12.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 927 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $68,900 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County, GA | 16 mi | 3% | 12% |
| Greene County, GA | 17 mi | 7% | 28% |
| Wilkes County, GA | 17 mi | 6% | 10% |
| Hancock County, GA | 21 mi | 7% | 41% |
| McDuffie County, GA | 23 mi | 2% | 13% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 24 mi | 6% | 10% |
| Glascock County, GA | 28 mi | under 1% | 30% |
| Lincoln County, GA | 29 mi | 8% | 10% |
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