Walker County, Georgia
A shallow water table limits basements on 21% of Walker County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 7%.
45.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 99.1% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses here since 2016. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Walker County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 21.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.8% |
| Mapped soil | 285,700 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Minvale | 11% | n/a |
| Shack | 9% | n/a |
| Hartsells | 7% | n/a |
| Montevallo | 7% | n/a |
| Bodine | 6% | 0% |
| Townley | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA619 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
On 21% of Walker 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: 42.38 in, 12.30 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 54.68 in.
USDA rates 79% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
45.2% 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 24 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 45.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
8 flood losses since 2016, $982,718 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 6.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 54.68 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.38 in (-12.30) |
| 2025 | 53.84 in (-0.84) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1989: 71.94 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 35.30 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHICKAMAUGA 2 SW (8 mi away) | 17.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 29,669 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $197,100 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dade County, GA | 14 mi | 6% | 7% |
| Catoosa County, GA | 15 mi | 18% | 22% |
| Chattooga County, GA | 18 mi | 5% | 31% |
| Whitfield County, GA | 20 mi | 6% | 33% |
| Gordon County, GA | 29 mi | 6% | 23% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 30 mi | 8% | 13% |
| Murray County, GA | 32 mi | 4% | 18% |
| Marion County, TN | 33 mi | under 1% | 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